Don't ignore your own backyard

This just in: the student body at the University at Albany is largely apathetic.

Sure, there are plenty of student groups with a dedicated and active membership, and there are plenty of students who are willing to support something they believe in (take Daniel Bocanegra, profiled at right, as an example.)

But the fact remains: Most people on this campus simply don't give a shit about much of anything, especially when it comes to the Division-I athletics right in our own backyard.

Actually, that's a lie. There are plenty of people at UAlbany who care about sports. I see people crowded around the televisions in the Campus Center all of the time, trying to catch a glimpse of the score of the Rangers game or watching 'Melo magically avoiding a whistle as he basically tackles a defender before draining the winning 3-ball.

But when it comes to supporting the Albany Great Danes? Apart from the Big Purple Growl and one or two other meaningful basketball games, most UAlbany students would rather stand for hours in a smoke-filled house on Hudson that's filled past capacity while clutching a Solo cup filled with watered-down Keystone they just paid five dollars for rather than attend a lacrosse game for free.

I realize this is a stale topic that has been rehashed over and over and over again in this section of the ASP for years. Hell, even UAlbany alumnus Harvey Milk - yes, that Harvey Milk - used to complain about pretty much the same thing over fifty years ago when he was sports editor of the State College News, as that incarnation of the ASP was called.

But as we say goodbye to the graduating seniors and welcome a new class of freshman, the topic is worth discussing again. The average sports fan on this campus loves pro sports and major college athletics, but shuns the highly-accessible mid-major game.

With that logic, the average sports fan on this campus is an idiot.

Part of the reason for the lack of student support is the inherently incorrect notion that most of our teams just aren't that good. Just the other day, I was tolerating my Chartwells lunch in the Campus Center when I heard an absolute doozy.

"I wish we had a good football team," said Douchebag Number One.

"I know," replied Douchebag Number Two, taking time to adjust one of his six (note: may be slight exaggeration) popped collars. "They suck."

Um … what? The football team that has gone undefeated in Northeast Conference play for two straight seasons en route to a pair of conference championships sucks? What exactly does a team have to do to be good in the eyes of the Douchebags?

This year, UAlbany teams won seven conference championships, and the baseball team has an outside chance of making it eight. But, according to the Douchebags and the general popular opinion with students, they suck because they can't compete for a national title.

Consider this my plea to the incoming freshman, many of whom will read this at their summer orientation while they are in the beginning stages of their college career: Please, don't be an idiot when it comes to sports on campus. Professional and major-conference college sports aren't the only thing out there. Head on over to University Field and watch the Danes defend their back-to-back titles. Take the short walk to the Physical Education Building and watch the volleyball team spike the ball faster than you can blink your eyes. Enjoy watching the soccer team continue its budding rivalry with Binghamton.

Or, you know, you can nurse your Saturday afternoon hangover while a handful of your classmates take advantage of the abundance of sporting events this school has to offer. It's your choice, really.