'FIRE' at Roberts Stadium?
Commentary by: MT Arnold

3/06/2007

Stadium Crowd for Men's Game

I didn’t see the smoke, but apparently someone yelled ‘fire’ by the way the crowd poured out of Roberts Stadium this past Sunday. USI Men’s Basketball Team had just won (deservingly) the GLVC Championship game 63-61 on a great comeback.  I was one of about 30 media people covering the two 2007 GLVC Championship Games on this March 4th afternoon. Wait, didn’t I just say “two?” Yeah, I believe I did!

After a few moments of media pictures, high fives, congrats to USI coaches, and catch-up talk, and avoiding the rushing crowd, I was off to cover game # 2 between Lewis and Drury…but, I wouldn’t have to travel very far…precisely the same media court-side seat I had during the Men’s Game.

  My seat was still warm when the second game began. I hurried to snap a few pictures of the starting line-ups and while getting the same shot (location and angle) that I taken earlier (of the men’s game) I noticed that something was very wrong…behind the fast pace action of these superb athletes were nothing but vacant seats, so I tried to get another angle to show off the crowd, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find one…heck, I even tried using crowd close ups to fake a great shot, but to no avail.

    

The truth of the matter is, there was no crowd for this great championship game between two very good, and well coached, college teams.
Perhaps someone had yelled fire and I was just too busy watching all the hoop-la after the men’s game to realize it…not! I was one of only three media people (the other two being from out-of-town) that stayed around for the girl’s championship game.

Yeah, I know, it was two out-of-town teams playing for a GLVC girl’s championship game, but had it been USI Lady Eagles, I wonder how many people would have stayed even for that. After all, I believe they too only average about 300 per game at the PAC. In any case, it was a poor showing of local support for a championship game being held in an Evansville Stadium that has so much great history of crowd support for basketball (Other than the Lady Aces?).

Well, before I jump off my soap-box, I want to say what a great job the GLVC has done the past five or six years with this Men’s and Women’s Tournament…as a matter of fact, I have fond memories of being the ESPN rep for the Tournament and covering some great games here in 2001 and 2002 with ESPN2’s Hometown Sports program…the crowds, then, and now, saw some great basketball games, both Men’s and Women’s, and I’m sure the players cherish those memories.

Well, perhaps the girls never even noticed the crowd pouring out after the men’s game on Sunday…Perhaps, unfortunately, they have grown too accustom to seeing the same scene, game after game, year after year….I for one, enjoyed the girls game, and though I sometimes miss covering all sports (Mens and Womens), I’m proud to say I represent the Diva La Sports Network (DLSN) and female athletics….it's our mission to help provide more positive coverage for these great athletes...but the next time there appears to be a 'fire', I’m calling the fire department, perhaps that will draw some attention!

  

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