It was almost too embarrassing to compose a Tweet.
Seconds before tip-off of the DePauw men's basketball team's North Coast Athletic Conference first round game Tuesday night in the Neal Fieldhouse, I turned around from my courtside post to make an observation about the crowd.
I laughed because sarcastically, I could have counted one-by-one the people who were there. It would have taken maybe 10 seconds. Instead, I turned to my computer to compose 140 characters on the scene.
I began to write, "Approximately 40 people..."
Then I deleted "40" and wrote "20."
I didn't end up sending the Tweet out. I was too embarrassed for my fellow students. This was an NCAC tournament game between No. 4 DePauw and No. 5 Wittenberg University. DePauw downed the No. 9 team in Division III last week to earn the home game, and yet, less than 20 people showed up at the start.
This is common, though. Across the board, attendance at home games is generally poor. The fact of the matter is students at DePauw are busy with fraternity and sorority obligations, homework and doing other things. Low on the average student's list of priorities is going to an athletic contest.
It's an observation I've made after two years of attending every home event on campus as sports editor of The DePauw. Now as a writer, out of habit, I still go to every home game I can. Tuesday evening's lack of crowd didn't concern me until after the game.
DePauw head coach Bill Fenlon ripped the lack of support, and it wasn't a typical protest.
"What a crowd we had tonight. Talk about Tiger Pride," he said. "Two conference tournament games and we can't get 14 people out to the game. It's depressing. You know what? If I was a player, I'd be a little depressed too."
He kept going.
"That's not what they play for clearly, but it's too bad. It's too bad there's just isn't a little bit more awareness and support for some of the things that our athletes do on campus."
Amen, coach.
This is a campus disinterested in its own teams. And everyone is guilty. Two weeks ago, this very paper wrote an editorial ("Team deserves school support" Feb. 8) about supporting the women's basketball team.
However, while a casual student can never be assumed to be at a game, at least fellow athletes, faculty and staff do show up. On Tuesday, I saw members of the field hockey, softball, football and other teams in the stands. I even saw their coaches.
Eventually, students trickled in after tip-off, and there were more than 100 people there. But most promptly left when the men's game ended, and the women's basketball team's game against Hiram College started.
Even head coach Kris Huffman let loose a rare quip after the game.
"It was quiet," she said, smiling.
By many accounts, attendance at games has been in steady decline. It didn't used to be this way. At the same time, I've heard there hasn't been good attendance for a long time.
Try anything: give away free pizza, go on a social media campaign, re-brand a logo and utilize a #TeamDePauw hashtag, things don't work to create a DePauw student fan base.
"That's DePauw," Fenlon said. "You got the No. 1 women's team in the country and it doesn't matter if we're third in the league. We're pretty fun to watch if you actually watch us. I've been wracking my brain for 20 years trying to figure out what needs to happen."
You're right, coach. That's DePauw. Out of 2,336 students, we're lucky to get more than 100 in the stands. That's four percent.
There is no fan base, and you can never count on it to appear. It's nothing but a myth.
We just have better things to do, and let that be a lesson to teams - if you think fans will come out and give you an energy boost, you might want to rethink that.
The women's basketball team hosts Wittenberg tonight at 8 p.m. There will be more of an attendance than Tuesday, and probably more fans every game after into the NCAA tournament.
It's embarrassing that can't be every game.
- Appelgate is a senior from Kent, Wash., majoring in communication