We've got spirit... sort of

By Brooke Boniface

Each academic year, near the beginning of winter quarter, Santa Clara University and its students haul out their finest show of school spirit for Bronco Spirit Week, culminating in the Santa Clara versus Gonzaga basketball game.

Arguably the most hyped-up basketball game, or sporting event, that Santa Clara has to offer, the Gonzaga game draws fans that include students from all grades, faculty, staff, alumni and area supporters.  The atmosphere, especially in the student section, is euphoric, with thousands of drunken and high-spirited undergrads cheering their brains out for their beloved Broncos.  

This year the fans were rewarded for their attendance with a resounding 85-71 victory over the much-hated Zags.  This victory was made even more rewarding because of the heartbreaking losses that Santa Clara has endured for the past few years.  

Students reveled in the victory with long and loud celebrations that night, and the next, and the one after that.  

Many even expressed their joy with burnt couches and mattresses…which I still don't quite understand. "Oh my gosh, we are so happy! Let's go set stuff on fire!" I'm not sure how that leap happens, but that is another thought for another article.

After the game I witnessed some of my favorite moments at as a Bronco, Ben Dowdell's mounting of the announcer's table to scream to the crowd, the fans rushing the court and the pronouncement of a nearby student that "every basketball player is definitely getting laid tonight!"  

But by the best moment came the Friday after the game when about ten basketball players entered Benson and were greeted by a round of applause and even a standing ovation by a group of enthusiastic students.  

The amount of school spirit displayed around the time of the game was amazing. I was so excited to see my fellow peers enthusiastically supporting their team, wearing the Ruff Rider shirt with pride, and even shouting "We Bucked the Zags!" at 3 a.m. outside my window.  

However, that Saturday, a mere two days after we beat Gonzaga, when the men's basketball team played Portland, there were barely any students in attendance.  Santa Clara trounced the Pilots by 13 points 72-59, but the student section was sparsely populated, in stark contrast to its filled-to-capacity appearance just two days before.

One of my friends told a story which is representative of most  student's school spirit.  

She overheard some of her friend who never go to basketball games saying "Oh man, I am so mad I missed the Gonzaga game! I wish I had gone.  I am so pissed I missed it!"  

"Yeah I know that stinks. But," she replied, "there is another game against Portland today in about an hour, do you want to go with me?"

"Oh, no," they shrugged in response, "I don't really care about that one."  

It is understandable to get more hyped up for some games rather than others.  It is understandable to miss some games because you have classes, homework, work or one of the other million responsibilities that fill student's schedules.

But in the end, it comes down to a general attitude of "whatever," which most students carry around like it's a sacred emblem.  If my friends at UCLA or USC, even for a second, showed the sorry measure of devotion to their school that the majority of our student body shows on a daily basis, they would be shunned for life.  

I challenge the Santa Clara student population to show pride in their school all year long, not just when we beat Gonzaga.  Because no one likes a fair weather fan.

Brooke Boniface is a junior history and political science double major and the editor of the opinion section.