I have one word for the majority of the Mighty Maniacs that wear the blue wigs, wait in line for tickets, and claim to be the best of the best when it comes to being rabid fans: BULL!
You have men's basketball spirit, not school spirit.
Where were you when the men's soccer team was ranked No. 19 in the country and was taking on the No. 2 team? How about when the No. 1 wrestler at 197 pounds took on Kyle Cerminara, who was the only undefeated 197-pounder in the nation at the time?
I've just mentioned the top two teams that have put on Buffalo uniforms this season, and yet they received little-to-no fan attendance, especially from the so-called diehards.
Both of those teams will not grace the home stage again this season, as the soccer schedule is long over and the wrestling team now has its eyes set on conference and national championships.
Simply, if you missed the aforementioned moments, you have missed two of the top moments in UB athletics this year, if not in the university's Division I history. And there isn't anything you can do about it.
The fickle Sea of Blue was out and roaring two years ago when the men's basketball team hosted its first Mid-American Conference home game in front of a crowd of 8,971. The team posted a 17-12 record that season, winning the same number of games in one year as it did in the previous two years. The Bulls won that game, packed up and headed for Cleveland for the second round of the tourney.
The team came back the next year with a vengeance, losing no athletes to graduation and making it all the way to the MAC Championship game. The 2004-2005 men's basketball team made its mark in the UB history books, going the farthest a team ever has in the MAC tourney and posting a sensational 23-10 record.
On the women's side of the hardwood, this year's team finished its regular season with 10 wins, the exact number of the past two years' victories combined. Linda Hill-MacDonald's squad hosts a first-round playoff game this Saturday.
While it will not be the first home playoff game for the women, it puts them in a great position to get a ticket to Cleveland. The team has just one senior, guard Brooke Meunier, and has a chance to make great strides next year with solid freshmen and sophomores making contributions.
But, like their wrestling and men's soccer counterparts, the team gets minimal student support. The so-called UB fans can't take the time away from posting on fan forums to cheer on teams that aren't as hyped as the men's basketball team.
Kent State fans had pride and brought it with them to Tuesday night's women's game at Alumni. More people made the trek from Ohio than students did from Ellicott. The Golden Flashes' fans made UB's student section look malnourished.
There were more students working the game, either as a job, community service, or student group participation, than students that were there to enjoy the game and cheer on the Bulls.
Despite the miniscule student attendance, the voice of UB basketball followed his typical recognition of the pep band, cheerleaders, and Dazzlers with a nod to the Mighty Maniacs. All 50 at the game heard it and that's being generous.
It shouldn't matter if Roderick Middleton, Luke Adams, or Sophie Barstad is trying to lead their respective team to a victory. They all wear blue and white and they all deserve support from the student fans.
There's no excuse for the poor attendance by UB students to athletic events outside of men's basketball. You get in for free. If you are willing to wait five hours for the ability to race to a seat so you can watch Yassin Idbihi try to make his hook shot fall, you should be able to spare the time for other teams' games.
The fall season is well over and the winter season is coming to a close. It's too late to make up for missing Dan Gwyther getting a yellow card, Kahla Walkinshaw swimming to a victory or Harold Sherrell earning record-breaking near-fall points in a season.
But there's still the end of the women's basketball season and the entire spring season to watch new moments in UB athletics. UB students can begin to show their real school spirit this Saturday at the women's basketball playoff game.
You Mighty Maniacs claim to be true-blue, foaming-at-the-mouth UB fanatics, but you're not until you show devotion to more than one team.
