Last Saturday our men’s and women’s basketball teams gave us a reason to celebrate; both beat the Dutch by a margin of at least 21 points.

As Central College has been the archrival of Simpson for decades, it wasn’t a surprise for me seeing parents and students pack the gym. However, what really surprised me was the fact that at the end of each game there was just half of the crowd than when the games started.

Why? It was one of the biggest games because of what it meant to both colleges. Besides, our teams played very well. Didn’t they deserve a little respect from their audience?

It was a weekend night. I’m pretty sure that none of the students who left the gym that night did it because they had homework. The party must have been extremely good for having left our teams halfway down the road.

There’s no doubt all those students who showed up dressed in Hawaiian and other crazy styles added more fun and excitement to the game, but leaving at halftime undermined the positive effect that yelling and cheering had for our players.

What, do we need to have a match where the victory is not decided until the last minute in order for students to stay? Do we have to be suffering all game long to remain there until the end? Our players worked extremely hard all night to make sure the triumph would be ours.

I’m not asking you to follow the teams wherever they go (well, that would be cool if you could), but at least show some support when they play at home. And by support I also mean staying there until the end. You’re not going to die if you arrive a little late to a party. You only have a few years to be in college and once you’re out of here it is not likely that you’ll come back to watch a basketball game against the Dutch.

Think about it. These are probably the last chances you’ll have to go nuts for your college team, so why not do it?