Cager faithful need to come out of hiding

Tuesday, Feb. 4, 1997

Collegian Sports Columnist

Cager faithful need to come out of hiding

I'll never forget my senior year of high school.

Michael Lello is a sophomore majoring in journalism and the Collegian sports administration writer.

Following the Nittany Lions and the likes of Kerry Collins, Ki-Jana Carter, Bobby Engram and Kyle Brady during that undefeated Rose Bowl championship season was a dream come true for a lifelong fan. I even got to attend the Northwestern game at Beaver Stadium.

In basketball, the Lions, nearly missing an NCAA tournament bid, made it to the semifinal game of the NIT.

The best part of all of this was that in a few short months I would be at Penn State. I had already made my decision to attend the University.

The anticipation of being part of the famed student section at football and basketball games drove me crazy that summer.

Well, after two football seasons and one and a half basketball seasons, I must say I am disappointed.

With the players? The teams?

Not at all.

It's us. The student fans.

I've always said if you buy a ticket to a sporting event, you have the right to boo all you want. We all know the Wally bashers got more than their money's worth last season. This is not the problem.

The problem is the blatant lack of support for our fellow students who dedicate themselves to carrying on the proud tradition of Penn State sports.

"I support them!" you might be thinking.

OK. Where were you last Sunday for the Penn State basketball game vs. Indiana? Noon too early for you?

You're probably the same person who watched the football game against Iowa on TV last season because of the rain.

It's not hard to support our teams. The athletes practice all week, while we watch TV and sleep. The least you can do is go to a few games here and there. I'm not saying you should attend every home game of every team we have. That would be ludicrous.

Don't call yourself a Penn State fan if you're one of these people who finds it more convenient to attend games when their team is at the top.

Case in point: this year's basketball team. A lot of students aren't interested in seeing the Lions because of their poor record.

"So, as I walk to class and see Michigan, Florida State and Notre Dame gear on the bodies of some students, I can't help but think about the University's overcrowding problem."

This is the type of squad that needs all the fan support it can get. They only have two starters from last season (Pete Lisicky and Calvin Booth), and the rest of the lineup is rounded out by backup players and freshmen.

If you don't have the time for them this year, then I'm sure you won't later in the season or next season when they turn it around.

Maybe I was just expecting too much when I came here. But it just doesn't seem right. A friend of mine who attends a branch campus made it up to University Park for every home football game last season and the season before that. Now that's a fan.

Maybe we just take for granted what we have here.

We're used to winning, and if we don't win, we quit. Thank goodness the athletes don't embrace that philosophy.

So, as I walk to class and see Michigan, Florida State and Notre Dame gear on the bodies of some students, I can't help but think about the University's overcrowding problem.

These students should transfer to those schools if they like them so much.

At least maybe they'll support their new school's teams.