“Man, I really hope that they win a National Championship while I’m still here.”
Since my freshman year, that’s the same thought I’ve been thinking to myself every time I’ve stepped foot into Magness Arena to see a hockey game.
The Pioneers did win back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005, and I have to admit I honestly didn’t take much notice. I didn’t take much notice of many college sports, in fact.
I always enjoyed watching the Frozen Four, the BCS Championship and March Madness, but without any horse in the race, it was never that big a part of my life. All of that changed the day I first stepped into my freshmen dormitory in Centennial Halls; that is the college sports phenomenon.
In the span of a year, I learned what it was to be a DU sports fan. I quickly caught on to all of the hockey chants, developed a healthy hatred toward North Dakota and Colorado College (CC), and starting bragging to all of my out-of-state friends about how great our lacrosse and ski teams were.
While I love being a DU fan, I still recognize that their is something strange about the nature of a collegiate fan base.
I have never played lacrosse and I have never met anyone on the ski team, yet due only to my association with DU, I find myself ceaselessly rooting for my fellow Pioneers regardless of the sport or opponent.
How is it that just a couple of years ago I had no real interest in DU sports, and now I have become a die hard fan? Again, the nature of the phenomenon.
We are introduced to a culture that fosters a living devotion to our school. It’s not forced on us, and there are some that reserve only a base relationship with DU sports, but for those of us who embrace the culture, it can be very powerful.
Some of us were born into it, with parents and family members being Pioneers. Most of us, however, are simply a result of our decision to attend DU. Just a couple of years ago, I had both DU and CC on my list of schools. While I made the right choice for me and remain thrilled to be a Pioneer, my life would be very different if I had chosen to attend another school. I would have memorized different chants and hated DU, although I wouldn’t have had as much to brag to my friends about.
In less than three years I have cultivated a level of respect and allegiance to the Pioneers, a level that took a lifetime to develop for some of my other favorite teams. This is the college sports phenomenon. I love the Broncos, the Nuggets and the Braves, but I actually get to be a Pioneer.
