Marc Choquette
Perspectives Editor
For colleges and universities without a football team, it is a well-known fact that the only way for a school to shake the proverbial athletic moneymaker is to have a quality basketball team on the floor and supportive fans in the stands.
Since the inception of March Madness, the window to national prominence has been opened for the hundreds of small or “mid-major” schools to strut their stuff on the national stage.
As much as it pains me to say it, Gonzaga is the perfect example. Eight years ago, the Bulldogs, the unknown small school from Middle-of-Nowhere, Wash., made noise in the NCAA tournament for the first time and have made it back every year since. Gonzaga is the only school not from a major conference to do so.
Now the Zags have a brand new 6,000-seat arena, and consistently sell out, with the 6th man surely being a catalyst to their 47-game home winning streak.
Now you’re asking how can one compare a 5-16 Pepperdine team to that of Gonzaga’s repeated dominance? The answer: You can’t. Yet, the formula is there. Gonzaga did it right in front of our eyes over the past few years. The fans do come with winning, but at the same time, the fans help contribute to winning on the home court.
I have watched three recent games of ours. All three have shown that much of the WCC, especially Gonzaga, are light-years ahead of Pepperdine with regards to fan support.
First was Pepperdine’s trip to Spokane, where Gonzaga’s students in “the kennel” got things so rowdy that the already-mismatched Waves had another problem on their hands, dropping the game by 17 points. Keep in mind the Zags are un-ranked and fighting for the conference lead. Attendance? A sold out 6,000.
Second, the University of San Francisco traveled to Malibu to take on the Waves in a game broadcast on ESPNU. It was pretty embarrassing to see cameras pan across the more than half-empty arena, a venue many already think is too small. In fact, the group of 10 or so USF students who made the trip got more camera attention and made more noise than our student body, who too often seem to be missing in action.
Color commentator and prominent sportswriter, Bill Simmons, plugged Pepperdine to those watching, noting the location, the academic reputation and the highly attractive women. But he wondered where all the students were. Attendance? About 1,050, which equals about 2,000 empty seats. Good question, Bill.
Finally, was the game over the weekend at Loyola Marymount. While Pepperdine had a respectable fan contingent at the game, the rivalry seems to only apply when we travel to LMU’s campus. Gersten Pavilion was packed 4,000 strong to push their 8-13 Lions, the one team doing worse in the WCC than Pepperdine, to victory.
It’s a transition year for our program, but don’t tell that to our understaffed, undersized and over-injured team. These guys have been hustling and playing harder than I have ever seen a Pepperdine team play since my arrival three years ago, and hard work eventually pays off.
To say that we are not showing up to games because we are losing is a cop out, plain and simple. Nine out of our 16 losses have come by five points or less, and it is very conceivable to think that if we, as a student body, stood behind our team, our guys would feed on the support and win more games.
01-25-2007