ESPN has labeled them a “team to watch.” Atlantic 10 coaches already know the trouble they can generate. Saint Louis University students have seen the potential they have.
As the Billikens men’s basketball team nears another season, the Athletic Department looks to enhance student support for all their programs.
Blue Crew, the student led spirit group responsible for leading cheers and increasing student-fan participation at all home basketball games, is undergoing a name change.
After more than 10 years in service as the moniker for the organized head of the student section, group executive board leaders and Athletic Department brass hope to put to rest the former Blue Crew name described as “generic” by both group Blue Crew president Mike Putnam and Assistant Athletic Director Declan O’Neill.
“I think Blue Crew is a good name, but it could be a name for any college team that has blue as a color,” O’Neill said. “I want to incorporate a new name that when you hear it you think ‘Billikens’ or ‘SLU.”
Hoping for similar originality, group president Putnam adds that a new name “can definitely bring some personality to what it means to be a Billikens fan.”
Under the former name, Putnam believes confusion existed between what the purpose of the group was in regards to the rest of the student section.
“Previously there was the idea that there was the Blue Crew and then there were the other students in the stands,”
Putnam said, “and students who didn’t buy season tickets felt they couldn’t cheer with the rest of the fans.”
Putnam believes a new name will create student section cohesion that would put to rest sludent divisions.
“We hope the name change will bring a fresh start to something all students can feel a part of, whether they bought season tickets or not,” said Putnam.
In order to help increase this sense of ownership of the group’s name, the athletic department is currently running a contest for all University students to come up with the new name for the group.
From now until Sept. 16, students can upload ideas for possible name changes to www.slubillikens.com. Fans are asked to keep their entries appropriate. The best choices will be put on a ballot for students to vote on.
The student, or group of students, who come up with the new group designation will win season tickets to all basketball games, as well as pride in starting a new SLU tradition.
Putnam is looking for “originality, personality and some spunk,” in the group name submissions.
“We need something that will make a name for ourselves,” he said. “We will have a great team, and I think we can match it with a great student section.”
