As soon as Brett Harvey’s desperation three went out of bounds at the buzzer, Head Coach Ed Cooley and crew ran down the court towards the band and the student section and let their emotions go, screaming and waving at the crowd on hand.
It was about as emotional as you’ll ever see these guys.
Cooley? He added a boisterous “This is our house! This is our house!” yell, much to the delight on the alumni and fans that got to hear it.
It was a well deserved release, since the Stags had just battled the an elite MAAC team in Loyola (Md.) and came back from a 13 point deficit with a little over eight minutes to play.
Even the staunchest Stag fans would have admitted such a sight was inconceivable just a few short weeks ago.
Yet there’s a glaring fact even more amazing: there was barely anyone there to see it.
And by anyone, I’m referring to students.
The Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport has been Fairfield’s home since the 2001-02 season. A relatively new building, Harbor Yard is a state-of-the-art facility that has a capacity of upwards of 9,000 and plays home to our beloved Stags and the American Hockey League’s Bridgeport Soundtigers.
In other words, it puts Alumni Hall to shame.
As Athletic Direction Gene Doris put it, “It’s the envy of most of our opponents.”
Then why has the Red Sea been missing in action all season?
There are certainly a few explanations for the lack of fan support for the men’s team this season and in years past.
First of all, students may have a lack of knowledge about Bridgeport and the arena. Most would probably look at a ten minute trip down I-95 as a burden and not worth the time. After all, it isn’t exactly the best neighborhood in Connecticut.
The truth is that a majority of the people that attend Fairfield simply don’t know the procedure. Every game has a fan bus that provides transportation to and from Bridgeport absolutely free of charge.
In addition, there are other programs that have been implemented of late to bolster student turnout.
Doris pointed to various efforts from student groups as a sign that students here do care.
“Stags in the Stands is a program designed to commend students for their attendance and support of athletic events,” Doris said. “The more events [you] attend, the more points they get.”
Stags in the Stands has even gone as far as offering free tickets and meals to students that make the trip to Harbor Yard, which has only helped attendance marginally.
Has it really come down to sheer bribery?
In fairness, most students’ knowledgeable about Stags basketball will tell you that the team’s losing ways earlier this year played an integral role in their decision to not attend games.
The early portion of the season was not kind to the Stags, who stumbled mightily out of the gate to the tune of a 2-10 record.
Chuck Walters ’10 claims that winning plays a large part in a student’s decision.
“Definitely,” he said. “I mean, I went to games before, but now [that they’re winning] of course I’ll go.”
Now, this team is successful. The same can be said for the women, who are quietly having an unbelievable season and should be considered one of the pre-MAAC tournament favorites to win it.
With the Stags on a seven-game winning streak and playing with plenty of momentum, students need to make every effort to attend these games. This Fairfield team has a strong chance to make a run in the MAAC tournament, which is just around the corner.
And that’s after playing only two home games all year, the two played at Alumni Hall. The only two games all year where we witnessed a raucous fan section.
It’s time for us, the students of Fairfield, to make the Harbor Yard games a home game for this team. We need to give them a home court advantage they’ve earned over the past few weeks. Currently, it’s just a pretty arena – nothing more than a neutral site.
With the students help, it would be the most intimidating of venues.
At the end of the day, there’s a reason that people prefer games at Alumni Hall to Harbor Yard. It turns out that it has nothing to do with nostalgia and aura, tradition and history as much as it has to do with the people inside it.
“A lot more people go to [Alumni]. And when a lot more [people go], there’s more school spirit,” said Walters.
The students here need to realize the power they have. They can bring that Red Sea spirit to the Arena at Harbor Yard and make it the MAAC’s most ominous venue just in time to help the Stags on their championship run.
Ultimately, it comes down to the students.
It’s time to make Harbor Yard our house.
Leave a Reply