With the basketball season drawing to a close, I thought I would shed light on the only thing at SLU basketball games I don’t like: the Blue Crew. At first, in my freshman na’vet?, I joined the Blue Crew.
I thought that their claims of being rowdy, loud and intimidating fans were true. I found, however, that they were neither loud nor rowdy, but instead, they are apathetic, at best.
At most home games, one can find a group of about 100 or so people in blue, at least living up to the first part of their name, standing near the court. What they are doing, well, that is anyone’s guess. Every few minutes or so they stir and chant.
Often it is actually constructive, a “defense” or something to that effect. More often than not, however, they either don’t chant, or, when they do, it lacks any enthusiasm or cleverness.
Their performance at basketball games has been something I have noticed throughout the season. It seems that the Blue Crew itself has become just a microcosm reflecting a good portion of students at this University.
Sure, it’s great that you get those shirts and free pizza before home games, but why bother to get all decked out if your group is going to be drowned out by smaller groups of “casual” fans who come up more original cheers. Let me clarify that I think it’s great that you go to the basketball games. That is heads and shoulders above most students at this school.
But don’t call yourself the “sixth man” when, in all reality, you fail to support your team for most of the game.
If you consider standing up to be good enough to support your team, you have a lot to learn about becoming a student section. Saint Louis University has some of the smartest students in the region and you’re not capable of coming up with innovative cheers?
The Blue Crew Web site notes, “During the game, we yell our heads off. We help start chants, along with the cheerleaders. We cheer the team on despite how they are playing. However, we usually just try to be as loud as we can to throw off the other team. We also let the opposing team know they are horrible and usually we let the refs know that they are also terrible and blind and deaf.”
If anyone reading this article has been to a game recently, they would know that this is not true. With an apathetic home cheering section, our team is at a disadvantage. If they really are the sixth man they claim to be, I am sure that coach Brad Soderberg would have them riding the bench for the whole year. I watched the SLU vs. St. Joseph’s game not too long ago, and St. Joseph’s cheering section made me feel ashamed.
They were loud, crazy and bigger than our student section, and looked far more effective. I am a firm believer that if St. Joseph’s, a comparatively smaller school, can have a good cheering section, then we can too.
Now that we won’t be scurrying down to the Scottrade Center anytime soon, I would leave this for the Blue Crew: Either live up to what you claim to be (a student section that creates an intimidating atmosphere for visiting teams) or come sit with the rest of the fans.
