There’s nothing worse than an unintimidating, unorganized student section. And that’s exactly what the Roar Corps is.
When I first got the email from LSU Athletics introducing the “new student section for men’s basketball,” I couldn’t help but chuckle. Slapping a new name on an old dog doesn’t mean it will be able to learn any new tricks.
Trust me, the Roar Corps hasn’t.
I don’t get the name change from the Maravich Maniacs to the Roar Corps. It makes sense this season because of the “Stand Right Up and Roar” marketing campaign for Tiger Athletics for the 2012-13 athletic year, but what happens next year when the mantra changes? Are they going to change the name every season?
My freshman year during the 2008-09 season, it was a privilege to be a part of the Maravich Maniacs. You had to arrive at the arena early to get a wristband to be guaranteed a spot in the standing-room-only part of the student section.
Of course, that was the season former Tiger star Marcus Thornton led LSU to a regular season Southeastern Conference Title and its last NCAA tourney bid. But the lack of a winning team is no reason for a student section to get as pathetic as it has in recent seasons.
Instead of packing the Roar Corps’ area right under the basket, students are more content to sit in the seats above the lower level just so they can watch the game in peace and not be part of some of the terrible attempts at rattling the Tigers opponents. And I can’t blame them.
“Hey Number One, I bet your GPA is lower than your jersey number,” and when all 15 strong in the student section started singing “Brick, Brick, Brick” to the “Jeopardy!” theme song are only a few of the gems the Roar Corps came up with when LSU took on Bethune Cookman on Jan. 5.
But two of the funniest gaffes of the student section came when the Florida Gators visited the PMAC last Saturday.
Toward the end of the game when the Gators had it in the bag, guard Kenny Boynton was fouled going to the basket and let an explicative fly. The Roar Corps then began to chant, “Watch (or wash) your mouth” — I couldn’t really tell.
Either way, it was horrible. This is Louisiana State University, not junior high.
Then, Gators forward Erik Murphy fouled out with eight seconds left in the second half, and the student section attempted the “Right, Left, Right, Left, Sit Down” chant on Murphy as he made his way to the bench.
Only problem was, Murphy didn’t take a seat. He waited until the clock read zeros then turned to the student section and shuffled his feet so fast the Roar Corps couldn’t keep up.
Murphy: 1. Roar Corps: 0.
The lack of the Roar Corps’ basketball knowledge doesn’t help matters either.
The goal of a student section isn’t to furiously yell at the referees for every call that doesn’t go your team’s way. If you don’t know the rule, don’t boo just for the hell of it.
Until things change, the only roaring you’ll hear in regards to the student section is the laughter coming from people watching them make fools of themselves.
