Monday was an iconic day at the University of Hartford as President Obama spoke at the Chase Family Arena and boy was there a crowd.
An estimated 3,100 students, parents, White House special guests and many more flooded the arena within 90 minutes of allowing entry as the excitement within the building was unlike anything this school had ever witnessed.
Numerous times before the President even set foot on the bullet-proof stage, the crowd was antsy, willing to cheer at any given moment.
When any announcement was made or someone of semi-importance got up from their seat, everyone stood up in anticipation that the show was about to start.
Unfortunately, more false alarms were had than a girl who missed her period, as time and time again, el Presidente didn’t show.
When the announcement was finally made by a parent of a Sandy Hook victim that President Obama was about to come on stage, you could feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
The student sections on both sides of the arena exploded with cheers, roars and chants as just the near sight of the President made everyonew go into a mad yelling frenzy.
It was amazing. It was awesome. It should happen a hell of a lot more often.
Actually, lets make it happen again in the fall.
Why can’t that many students show up to a men’s or women’s basketball game each week and give that type of intensity to motivate their Hawks to take the next step?
I mean, the Chase Family Arena’s seating capacity is 4,017 people and we didn’t even fill three-quarters of it when Obama came and that place felt packed from wall to wall. Imagine another 1,000 people? It would be insanity.
Opposing teams would concede at just the near thought of having to play the Hartford Hawks on the road with the Dirty Birds giving them hell for all 40 minutes.
I’m not saying we’d be similar to the Cameron Crazies for the Duke Blue Devils, but it’d be something fierce if we packed the arena during each home game.
I know most of you didn’t come to the University of Hartford because of their athletic program, but we do have some up-and-coming teams that will soon gain national attention and a high-class facility that is nicer than most.
Would it kill you to just take a few hours out of your day to just go to a basketball game with friends and cheer your fellow peers on? If your answer is “yes,” then maybe you should consult your nearest physician.
The environment at Hartford Hawks’ basketball games are always fun, friendly and can be a great way to just unwind after a stressful day filled with classes.
If we can even get half of the attendance that showed up at the Obama speech, it would be fantastic and I know it would the team would thrive under such circumstances.
Both the men’s and women’s teams already made deep runs in their America East Conference Tournaments this past season, so why not put them over the edge with a fan base that shows up to each event by the thousands and gives their opponents hell?
Hmm, at the University of Hartford the student body is around 6,500+ students, so if just one of out every two people come to each game or even one out of every three people come, then we’ll have the biggest cheering section in the conference by far.
So, grab some friends, grab a Hartford Hawks’ tshirt and get your butt out to the Chase Family Arena to watch some kickass basketball and socialize with your friends at the same time.
Believe it or not, it is possible to be social at the University of Hartford without getting drunk and wandering around the village and basketball games are the perfect way to do so on those nights of the week where going out just isn’t convenient or for those who choose not to do such activities.
Oh, and it’s free. All games are free for students who show their student ID’s, so you really have nothing to lose and everything to gain by going out to these games.
Just imagine all that cheering for Obama on a weekly basis during the regular season at each home basketball game, it could turn this school around completely and give UHa the boost of school spirit it deserves.