With a minute left in the LSU/Georgia game Monday night, I started pacing in front of my television and made sure to call a friend and alumna so I could scream in victory or defeat.
The last minute was excruciating, but well worth it to see Temeka Johnson hug Pokey Chatman and to see the Lady Tigers achieve their first-ever Women’s Final Four berth.
As the clock ticked down, I thought how amazing it is to see all of our sports teams thrust into the national spotlight in recent months.
When the Tigers clinched the Bowl Championship Series National Championship in January, I never thought how amazing it would be to have all of LSU reach the top.
Soon after the football team won, both the men’s and women’s track teams made history by clinching the indoor national championships.
Then the women won in the Elite 8 and the Tiger baseball team was ranked No. 1.
Even though the men’s basketball team didn’t make it into the NCAA Tournament, they are not left out of the glory.
Their team is very young and will progress.
Tack Minor and Brandon Bass, along with several other members, only are the beginnings of a great basketball squad.
So, what does this mean for LSU?
This past summer I worked as an intern in Washington, D.C., with people from around the country.
I lived with a Michigan Wolverine and a North Carolina Tar Heel.
They had both heard of LSU, but they didn’t know much about it.
After this year, I know not only my roommates but people around the country are taking notice.
Sports is a great start to getting this University on the right track and making people take notice of our accomplishments. It also is a great way to help the University gain revenue.
The money athletics rakes in for this campus helps LSU as a whole. It goes to anything from scholarships to building repairs — all things the University needs to improve on.
When the Tigers won the BCS national championship, the University increased its profit goals to make $500,000 to $1 million of additional revenue because of the Sugar Bowl.
The University gets 12 percent of the royalty rate for all national championship merchandise.
Just think what the University could do with all of the added success the athletic teams have had this semester.
The financial side is an added benefit of having talented athletes, but it is not the only benefit.
Athletes like Seimone Augustus and Matt Mauck are becoming the face of this University and helping to increase our reputation.
Chancellor Mark Emmert has said using athletics to get the nation interested in LSU is a good tool.
Now that we have their attention, we can show our peers that Southern schools are not only about athletics, but also about academics.
As the Lady Tigers get ready to play in their first-ever Final Four, I hope to see the national media focus on the tremendous success the University has had on and off the field or court.