If an athletic program is successful and no one is there to see it, was it ever actually successful? That is the question I hope that we don’t have to answer as we embark on a new semester here at BGSU.
Bowling Green has a renowned football program, probably the best in the entire MAC conference. The men’s basketball team is a winning franchise with a lot of young talent on the way. The women’s basketball squad went to the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade and looks to build on that success this year.
Falcon softball captured the MAC championship in 2004. BGSU baseball’s Nolan Reimold was recently drafted in the second round of the MLB draft. He became the fourth highest Falcon ever drafted and the highest non-pitcher drafted in school history when the Baltimore Orioles selected him with the 61st overall pick.
Jordan Sigalet overcame personal adversity, being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, to dominate the goalie position within the conference, and became a finalist for the Hobey Baker award given to the nation’s top college hockey player. Sigalet’s younger brother, Falcon defenseman Jonathan Sigalet, was recently drafted in the fourth round by the Boston Bruins (the same team that drafted Jordan) and became the highest drafted Falcon hockey player since 1996.
What it boils down to is a winning program with a winning tradition. To be fair, the Falcons have a group of devoted fans that ooze orange and brown through rain or shine, but this University deserves more.
It’s a shame that while the football team is in the Doyt, blistering a foe with one of the most proficient passing attacks in the nation, that some students would rather stay home or in their dorm rooms watching the Buckeyes on television. I mean, c’mon, the Buckeyes?
However, the apathy extends beyond the confines of campus. We have a city full of alums, and long-time members of the community, who just don’t come out in enough numbers to support their Falcons.
Trust me, there are worse ways to spend your free time than enjoying collegiate athletics that are usually among the top of the MAC. And the trick is, as more people come the more exciting the experience will be.
Too many people are missing the golden opportunity of seeing an athletic program performing at a level higher than its been in years.
We are all Falcons, and we are all sports fans, and we should live up to the Universities core values. Those values include respect, cooperation and pride in a job well done. The athletic department has done some damn fine work and its about time we show them we are proud of the job they have done.
