I recently got into an argument with someone over the nature of a true sports fan.
This friend (we’ll call him Johnny Cynico) was frustrated with the Kentucky basketball faithful for arguing obviously accurate calls that went against the home team. Enthusiasm is all well and good, he reasoned, but shouldn’t we just sit down and shut up when the boys get called out for their mistakes?
As a matter of fact … no. It is never the job of a sports fan to sit down and shut up. Ever.
I am not going to reveal where Johnny Cynico attends school (it would be very un-Irish Catholic of me), but he would fit in pretty well here at Vanderbilt. If you have been listening at all to the talk around Nashville this week, you are aware of the bizarre phenomenon going on within the world of Vanderbilt fandom: The most successful football team to have graced Dudley Field in 53 years is being met with an incredibly critical campus response.
7-6 is nothing to piss your pants about. It was only Music City. The PUNTER? Seriously?
These people are not fans, they are analysts, and while that is certainly a respectable career path, it is not the kind of attitude we need in the stands on a weekly basis. If for no other reason than this school is not that big, we all go to the same post office and, regardless of your opinion of Chris Nickson’s quarterback capabilities, he could easily kick the crap out of you.
Not to worry, because you are about to get a second chance. Football season is over, and it is time to start paying attention to a real sport.
Our basketball team is now 11-4 and running head first into a wicked Southeastern Conference schedule. There will never be a better time to jump on the Commodore bandwagon, and luckily for all of us it is stopping by campus in a big way this Wednesday. Our second annual and best ever Memorial Madness is happening at 5 p.m., and there are only a few good reasons, all of them involving head wounds and hostage situations, not to attend.
Before what should be a nasty fight between our Dores and the Georgia Bulldogs, Fanatics and Vanderbilt Student Government are busting out a truly unique pep rally event open only to the inhabitants of Vandy Land. Obviously there will be humiliating contests and free cars and odd-looking jerseys, but more importantly it will be an educational experience. To our newest members of the sorority scene, I should tell you your next immediate objective will be to snag yourself a suitable frat star, and being able to weave the names Buster Olney and Will the Thrill into everyday conversation would go a long way.
Most of all, this event will serve as a perfect demonstration of athletic support the way it should be. On Wednesday night, and every such game for the rest of the season, be a fan. Argue every call, regardless of how stupid you sound. Harass the other team like they stole your sister’s lunch money and show nothing but unconditional support for the 17 guys pouring their hearts out onto our freakishly shaped court. Be blatantly illogical, be unapologetically idealistic and be louder than you’ve ever been in your life, because Memorial Gymnasium is the only place in the world right now where it is OK to be all of those things. Be the kind of fan who gives meaning to the word Madness.
Carolyn Pippen is a senior in the College of Arts and Science. She can be reached carolyn.m.pippen@vanderbilt.
