By Brandon Rotsky
It is a sad feeling… knowing that you are doing everything you can to win the game, when you look to the crowd for motivation. There is nothing. The small crowd that does show up is quiet. There is no cheering. There is no motivation. The bleachers seem full of statues. Yes there is a crowd, but that’s all it is: a crowd. Fans are supposed to be jumping out of their seats and waving their hands, doing everything they can to motivate their team to win the game. But that isn’t the feeling in Beachwood.
I am not saying there aren’t fans that cheer. I am also not saying that there aren’t fans at all. It just seems like every home game, the away crowd is louder and more enthusiastic than the home crowd. That means there is no “home field advantage,” or victory worth celebrating, because the only people that appear to care whether the home team won or lost are the fourteen players and the three coaches on the sideline. It is heartbreaking to see our fellow students and friends give 110%, while the fans who came to see this game are giving little effort to motivate the players.
The game I personally will remember as a great high school memory is the great rivalry Beachwood vs. Orange game. It wasn’t just the electrifying dunks by Jeremiah Townes, or the great three point shots by Ari Meskin that made the game worth attending. It was the feeling in the home team student section. The bleachers were bouncing off the hardwood with students of all grades joining together with motivational chants to help the Bison win in an overtime victory against the dreaded city to the east.
It was the back and forth chants from home crowd to away crowd that made the game special. It was the student-made signs reading “Sir?” that made the game special. Most of all, it was the entire fan section rushing onto the court, when the score board clock clicked zero, that made the game special. It was a marquee win and a special night to be a Beachwoood student.
But sadly, after that game, the crowd numbers shrunk and shrunk. What once was a full house, is now scattered with students. But this isn’t just basketball. No, in my opinion there is a lack of Bison pride and spirit in many sporting events. The swim team, which is doing excellent despite a very tough schedule, hardly manages to bring in fans. The football team, who had a much-improved season than in years past, didn’t attract nearly as many fans as players would like. The girls basketball team doesn’t bring in many fans. Why? Why are many of our sports not attracting many fans?
As a BHS student, I am embarrassed at times to see more away fans in the student section then home fans. This isn’t a plea for greater sports teams at BHS, this is a plea for a greater amount of spirit and Bison Pride. What good is an all-star season without a community to play for?
