When I saw The Cavalier Daily published a paper Tuesday, the first day of classes, I was impressed. When I turned to the sports page and saw that our men’s basketball team lost to Virginia Tech by 3 points I was depressed. And when I read a fellow columnist’s article about how — if sports were the only thing that mattered — he would rather be a Hokie, I was shocked.
If my 5-year-old nephew told me that U.Va. fans don’t go to games in Blacksburg “because Virginia Tech wins all the games” I would take his SpongeBob toy until he changed his attitude. The last thing I’d do is admit defeat.
A Cavalier saying that he prefers the Hokie “performance, personnel and atmosphere surrounding athletic programs” is as nonsensical as a Tar Heel praising a Cameron Crazy. It’s as absurd as a Red Sox fan wishing he were really a Yankee fan. It’s like a Minuteman idolizing a Redcoat.
I doubt his is a common sentiment around Grounds. But still, Cavalier fans could benefit from a little more edge — an injection of a little extra confidence or optimism. Beating Maryland by 31 points in football should be an expectation, not a surprise. A win for the men’s basketball team against Georgia Tech is our first of many ACC wins, not a one-time fluke. And when the North Carolina men’s basketball team comes to town, a student should be excited for the chance to see Virginia upset the No. 5/6 team in the nation rather than getting an opportunity to simply see a top-10 team come to Charlottesville.
Last week I watched Florida State host Duke in an ACC men’s basketball matchup on ESPN. Though I am a college basketball fan, I generally don’t have the time or patience to sit down and watch an entire game in which I do not have a vested interest in either team. But I watched from the tip to the final buzzer.
The game was sloppy, it had minor significance for Virginia, and the announcers were mildly annoying. Regardless, I sat in amusement because the Seminole fans were giving the Blue Devils hell for all 40 minutes — so much so that you could hear it over the commentators. They were making fun of Coach K. They were heckling Greg Paulus on the bench. Florida State fans were even jeering J.J. Reddick in absentia. (He was selected in the 2006 NBA Draft and now plays for the Orlando Magic.) If Gerald Henderson put up an air ball, they made sure he didn’t forget about it. When the officials called a foul on FSU, it was “B.S.” (every time, of course). And though Florida State didn’t win, the fans rattled Duke enough to allow the Seminoles to sneak back in the game in the second half.
Forget sportsmanship. It’s gamesmanship. Virginia fans have a prime opportunity to assume that same pesky yet passionate image tonight on national television.
It’s a chance to get a random viewer in Tallahassee to stay tuned because he’s amused by just how much Cavalier fans are getting into Tyler Hansbrough’s head. Or to show someone watching in Blacksburg that Virginia fans have a little edge — that we’re cheering like it’s a conference tournament game and we expect to win.
Heckle UNC players about their two straight conference losses to open ACC play. Or get on Ty Lawson — who many think is one of the best players in the nation — for being worked by the point guard on the opposing team all throughout those two games. Or make fun of Hansbrough for being called “Psycho T,” for playing like a lunatic and for bringing the plastic mask back in style.
It really doesn’t matter what you say, but start cheers, join chants and, when it’s relatively quiet, yell something at Lawson, Hansbrough, Danny Green, Wayne Ellington or, heck, coach Roy Williams.
No need to be ignorant or insensitive — just loud and annoying.
And mixed into all of that mayhem will be cheers to support the home team.
The players are a reflection of the fans at the game. The fans at the game are a reflection of the student body. And the student body is a reflection of the University as a whole.
Tonight is a chance to show UNC, viewers nationwide and ourselves that we have inexhaustible pride for U.Va.
For many fans tonight, sports — even for just 40 minutes — will be the only thing that matters. And even then, I’d take being a Cavalier over being a Hokie any day.
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