Opponents, how would we get by without them? Some are better than others. Every team has a different fan following, different facilities, and a different attitude. This week, we will be looking at our opponents from an athlete and fan’s point of view. Some of our athletes will weigh in on the different opponents we have faced, and we will take a look at our opponent’s fans as well. Lets get right to it.
American: These are the league newcomers, so we are just getting a feel for each other. They have not been a perfect match for our league, academically, they are at the bottom, athletically, they are at the top. Amanda Routman of the volleyball team mentions one of the reason the rest of the league doesn’t hold them in high regard “…(T)he only reason they came into our conference is because we have an automatic bid to nationals and they came into our conference to roll over all the other teams.” On the field itself, there have not been as many complaints yet. Marc Hubbard of the men’s soccer team found them to be the most respectable opponents this year. They also seem to have pretty good fan support.
Army: The Black Knights play their home games at West Point, probably one of the nicest looking campuses in America. For the most part, Army has a reputation for classy, fair playing players and coaches, with perhaps one or two exceptions. Their women’s soccer team had a cheap shot artist or two on it, and a member of our men’s soccer team voted Army fans as the “most arrogant” in a recent survey I conducted. I can remember a volleyball game against Army two years ago. The Army girls were not that skilled on the court, but they just kept coming at us, playing every point 100%, I remember moments like that. Our softball team also shares close relationship with the Cadets. “The Army players and coaches generally have great sportsmanship. Our team
has sort of bonded with their team because neither of us wants to see Lehigh
win. We always support each other when we're up against Lehigh.”- Junior Amanda Brickell.
Bucknell: Bucknell University is our league mate that most closely resembles ourselves. This can lead to a lot of rivalries, both positive and negative. Bucknell got listed as the nicest facilities for softball, but the most miserable in basketball and volleyball. Their fans were also voted as the most arrogant and the most hostile in these two sports. Over the years, we have had many big games against them. Eric Tee of the football team admits to having the most respect for the Bison due to how hard they play, even if he doesn’t particularly care for them. When I got to Colgate, Bucknell had a reputation for arrogance, that’s not really the case anymore. At last years basketball tournament, they had the worst band in the arena. Over the next few years, I see our two schools growing even closer to each other, and with that familiarity, will come more great rivalries.
Holy Cross: When it came down to picking a college, Holy Cross and Colgate were my final two choices. And I still like the school. I like them athletically, and I like some of their fans. But I really do not like being in the same league as them. From my point of view as a fan, they are the most arrogant group in the league, their glasses are as tinted as they come, and they also have a tendency to blame the rest of the league for any troubles they might have. They have shown a little more maturity lately, but can still be very annoying. Just about every survey that mentioned them, did it in a negative way. They got some votes for most miserable facilities, most obnoxious fans, and least likable opponents. Only Routman would stand up for the Crusader’s, listing them as the opponent she wishes to see do well “(B)ecause as long as I've played them they've been a very young team and have continuously improved.” Holy Cross has been erratic in several sports, but their women’s basketball team is perhaps the best overall team in the league.
Lafayette: This is another school pretty similar to Colgate. As far as school size goes, they are tiny. They did recently complete a new sports facility, which received high marks by our athletes. As far as the rest of their facilities go, not so much. In basketball, the famous, or infamous Zoo Crew has attracted attention from fans an athletes. I personally feel that our Dog Pound could learn a thing or two from them, but many fans and outside observers have a very negative reaction to them. Our own Mark Linebaugh lists them as the best fans in the league. However, the Boston Globe felt otherwise, giving them the “award” as the worst fans because of their lack of sportsmanship, foul language, and otherwise rude behavior the last time they made it to the NCAA tournament. In women’s lacrosse, they are a huge rival, “(We’ve) played them for the Patriot League championships for the past few years and its always a close game--i guess its more of a friendly/competive rivalry than a hostile one.”- Senior Lauren Moll. In volleyball, they are the worst team in the league, but by playing hard every game anyway, they have earned a lot of respect from our team.
Lehigh: The next door neighbors, and rivals of, Lafayette. They got good marks from our women’s lacrosse players, but that’s it. I’ll just let our players tell you what they think of Lehigh. “There are a lot of heated emotions associated with both of these teams (Lehigh and Bucknell). There are personal rivalries between our players and players on both of those teams, and our games with these two teams are both extremely intense.”- Amanda Routman “Our biggest rival in softball is always Lehigh. We lost to them last year in the Patriot League tournament, so we'll definitely be gunning for them
this spring.”- Amanda Brickell, softball. “(Lehigh has the) most arrogant players for no reason whatsoever” - Marc Hubbard, soccer. “I hate Lehigh with a devout passion and will continue so until I die.”-Eric Tee, football. Freshman year, our fans and pep band had a very good relationship with each other. That soured pretty quickly at the basketball tournament last year when members from the band tried to steal our Colgate flag. As the students from the other Pennsylvania schools have gotten less arrogant and obnoxious over the years, those students now seem to be going to Lehigh. But I will give them their due as far as atmosphere at football games go, you cannot deny that they have fan support.
Navy: The Midshipman fly under the radar in most cases, with the exception of men’s basketball and soccer. Of the eight Patriot League schools, Navy has the fewest number of teams competing. Their facilities are remarkable, and received the highest marks from Colgate’s student athletes. In general, Navy teams play a more physical style than their Army counter parts, but most Colgate players said they still play cleanly. They have been our biggest nemesis in women’s soccer for many years, and I can remember one playoff game where some of the Navy players intentionally destroyed a display that was set up by the team parents. In men’s basketball, the rivalry is just as intense, but perhaps a bit friendlier. “(S)ince I've been here, I would say that the
biggest rivalry I've faced is navy. I always enjoy playing them because
our programs are so similar to each other and the thing that determines the
outcome of each of our games is who wants it more.”- Mark Linebaugh.
Not all of our rivalries come from the Patriot League. In all of Colgate’s history, the biggest rival was Syracuse. Back in the day, that rivalry was 50 times larger than anything we have today, and if you think I’m exaggerating, go read an old Colgate Maroon. Cornell has filled a large part of that role in recent years. I could write an entire column on why I don’t like Cornell, as a school and athletically, but I think I will save that for later. Their fans are arrogant, rude, obnoxious, and… devoted. Mens hockey captain Ben Bryce talks about how Cornell is the most hostile place to play, but admits “I wish our fans were more like Cornell, they are amazing, not obnoxious.” Cornell fans make a lot of noise for their team, but they also will harass the visiting fans. In a game against Princeton several weeks ago, many Cornell fans directed a chant at one of the visiting players mothers, suggesting that she should suck a certain part of their anatomy. When I interact with other fan groups, I expect our teams to get taunted to some degree, and maybe some good-natured cheering from side to side, but I think Cornell crosses the line. They also can react very hostily when the tables are turned against them, or find out that they are not well thought of. I remember one discussion with a otherwise reasonable Cornell fan who thought it odd that the Colgate band did not enjoy being told to die and drop dead, or being chanted at by several hundred fans that they would like to meet us in the parking lot after the game. I personally had over 200 fans chanting “This guy sucks” at me this year at Lynah Rink, just because I was passing through the student section. I can appreciate the energy and enthusiasm Cornell fans bring to the game, I just wish they wouldn’t always share it with me. Their teams were also listed as rivals several times. Sometimes as friendly, sometimes otherwise. “If the football team were to win only one game in a season, then that one win had better been against those cocky Ivy Leaguers.”- Eric Tee.
Competition is almost always a positive thing. It helps you strive to be your best, and it makes achieving your goals more rewarding. Most of the people we compete against are not bad people, nor are their fans. But when two groups are locked in a heated battle, anything can happen, and reputations are born and broken every single time. Ben Bryce sums it up for us, “I respect all teams but don't SHOW respect to any.” On the playing field, it is a competition, where the participants are trying to prove their superiority. But in order to have a great team, you must first have great opponents. Next week we will hopefully have a look at what our opponents think of us. So if you are reading this at one of our rival institutions, you can e-mail me your stories for next weeks column.
Trivia time! How many times did Tucker Neale score 30 or more points in a single game? The answer is 21, but the winner is me. Not a single guess this week. That means, all of you owe me a prize. An autographed jersey might be a good start (hint hint!) We’ll give this one more try, and I’ll give you a bigger hint this time. Since we are talking about rivalries this week, the following quote came from a journalist who comes from one of the schools we are playing in football next year. The quote is an old one, but might serve as some locker room fodder anyway. "But what in heavens name has the possession of a winning football team to do with the main business of a college or university. It surely adds nothing to the business of learning, except, perhaps, at institutions specializing in psychological research, such as Colgate, where the morons and imbeciles of the football team might be needed for experimentation." What school can this journalist claim as their alma mater? E-mail your guesses to gbraham@mail.colgate.edu, send me my prizes, and I’ll see you at the game!