2008 Woodie Awards
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The Standard Editorial Board
Issue date: 11/6/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
The Missouri State athletic department, along with football coach Terry Allen, spent all of last week trying to drum-up fan support for Saturday's game against No. 1 Northern Iowa.
Little did they know, they were trying to do so inside what is quickly turning into a fan wasteland.
Despite featuring an exciting, fast-paced offense that averaged 56 points per game at home and an undefeated team coming into town, Allen and the Bears were greeted with a half-empty stadium.
The crowd, which was announced at 10,590 mostly thanks to the throngs of UNI fans that followed their team down from Cedar Rapids, was the smallest of the season.
The smallest crowd of the season for the biggest game of the season? It can only happen at Missouri State.
It shows how pathetic the vast majority of Missouri State sports "fans" are becoming.
The term "fans" is almost too generous to say. Most Missouri State "fans" should only be called athletic supporters.
Would a school like archrival Southern Illinois produce something like this for their biggest football or basketball game of the season?
No way. Fans there actually have heart, pride and enthusiasm.
Credit the dozens and dozens of Maroon Madness members that showed up and vigorously cheered the entire game. They're just a few that can actually be called fans.
Now try to take that enthusiasm and spread it around to the rest of the apathetic athletic supporters around town.
Allen said after the game Saturday that he would be a door-to-door salesman if that's what it would take to generate fan support for football on campus and around the Southwest Missouri area.
Judging by the Northern Iowa game, he better get started immediately.
Little did they know, they were trying to do so inside what is quickly turning into a fan wasteland.
Despite featuring an exciting, fast-paced offense that averaged 56 points per game at home and an undefeated team coming into town, Allen and the Bears were greeted with a half-empty stadium.
The crowd, which was announced at 10,590 mostly thanks to the throngs of UNI fans that followed their team down from Cedar Rapids, was the smallest of the season.
The smallest crowd of the season for the biggest game of the season? It can only happen at Missouri State.
It shows how pathetic the vast majority of Missouri State sports "fans" are becoming.
The term "fans" is almost too generous to say. Most Missouri State "fans" should only be called athletic supporters.
Would a school like archrival Southern Illinois produce something like this for their biggest football or basketball game of the season?
No way. Fans there actually have heart, pride and enthusiasm.
Credit the dozens and dozens of Maroon Madness members that showed up and vigorously cheered the entire game. They're just a few that can actually be called fans.
Now try to take that enthusiasm and spread it around to the rest of the apathetic athletic supporters around town.
Allen said after the game Saturday that he would be a door-to-door salesman if that's what it would take to generate fan support for football on campus and around the Southwest Missouri area.
Judging by the Northern Iowa game, he better get started immediately.
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