The men's basketball team at UB is playing the most competitive basketball in team history and the student fan base is growing exponentially. With all the students excited about games the attendance has increased. So what does this school do? They remove student seats and relegate the avid fans to the "end zones" and the upper corners of the new seatback chair section.
The seats close to the court on the far side of Alumni are now reserved for non-students that pay for their tickets. Last home game against Western Michigan there were empty rows at center court just a few back while student sections were packed and rows of students lined up around the track surrounding the court. It's laughable that this school claims to have students' interests in mind when it is obvious that their only motivation is more money.
If this school really cared about the student atmosphere at games they would allow the real fans to be close to the game to cheer on a contending team. They hand out jerseys to the students with "6th Man" printed on the back and yet they keep these fans too far from the action. Take a look at a place like Cameron Indoor Arena, the home of the Duke Blue Devils, where the fans are practically in the game, adding to the home court advantage their team has.
I am ashamed to be affiliated with a university that has so little interest in what is best for its students. A great example of the way it should be is last year's playoff game against Northern Illinois, during which students packed the place to capacity and beyond, resulting in an atmosphere that would have made it tough for any team to beat UB.
With a strong team that has a chance to make waves in the Mid-American Conference, the last thing they need is a dead atmosphere like the one last Saturday. I know that other people feel the same way that I do, but the only way to change things is to speak up, and I encourage all of you to do the same.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
