From the cheap seats

There’s no fame or glory to be found on the courts of the Centennial Center or on Kurtz Field.

There’s no prestige from playing for a Division II school. The basketball and baseball games are not teaming with scouts from the big leagues (although there are the occasional few). There is no major media covering these games. Sometimes there’s not even enough fans at a game to fill one section of the bleachers in the Centennial Center.

So, why do these athletes chose to play for Georgia College & State University?

The first answer most people will give you is that these guys and girls weren’t good enough to play at a Division I school. Now for some athletes this might be true, but for a lot of the talent here at GC&SU, the cities or towns that they grew up and played in were remote and not in the national or sometimes state scope of top schools.

Also, college recruiters have limited schedules and may only get to see an athlete once or twice. If they have an off couple of days, then it doesn’t leave a good impression on the recruiter.

There are several athletes who are going to compete because of the thought that there is that next level. No matter what coaches have told them in the past, they still maintain that they are going to be a pro player and will play anywhere that there’s a ball and bat or a ball and a hoop.

Some know that their skills might not have been good enough to go to the pros from high school or even to go to a nationally recognized collegiate team. They keep working and trying even harder with the sometimes-false hope of reaching stardom.

Some players actually preferred the closeness of the college to their hometown. Some liked the small school atmosphere. I like to say these people prefer to be “a big fish in a small pond, rather than a small fish in a big pond.”

Some found that they could get more scholarship money by coming to a smaller school rather than a Division I powerhouse that had already given out too many free rides to heavier scouted recruits.

We, as fans, (and I include myself) take the sports here at GC&SU for
granted. I’m tired of going to basketball games and seeing the seats half-empty. I’m even more upset when I see pictures in this very paper of basketball games that show the empty seats.

Earlier this year, I challenged the non-participating student bodies of this college to go watch the games. Some answered and some were going regardless, but the masses of GC&SU didn’t respond.

One of my goals before I graduate is to go to a packed house for a basketball game or a capacity filled, people sitting-on-the-hill, barely room-to-walk baseball game.

It’s not like these games aren’t exciting. Last weekend the baseball team swept Barton College and the basketball teams played two very different, but equally exciting games as the Lady Bobcats dominated there game scoring 84 points and the Bobcats won on a buzzer beater.

I’m tired of challenging. I’ll be at these games enjoying the best sports that GC&SU has to offer. You know why? Because it doesn’t matter who’s playing in the game, it’s a guarantee that they are better at it than you or I will ever be.

So, why do the athletes play for GC&SU? It’s sure not for the abundance of fans. Maybe it’s just because they love it and deep down inside they couldn’t picture doing anything else.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 7 2003. Filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry