By Matthew Laurrie
Opinion Editor
We are WolfPack. Hear us roar.
The St. Bonaventure student section, which placed fifth in the 2013 Naismith Student Section of the Year contest, has been under attack recently regarding its raucous conduct. But the voice of our school will not be silenced.
John Wawrow, a sports reporter for The Associated Press, covered the Bonnies game against UMass in the Reilly Center on Wednesday, Jan. 29. After the match, Wawrow took to Twitter to criticize Bonnies in the student section for their rambunctious behavior and allegedly off-color remarks toward the opposing team during the game.
“Bonnies upset #No. 21-ranked #UMass. Impressive won (sic). Only thing that was disappointing were some members of foul-mouthed student section,” Wawrow tweeted; followed by, “How some of the comments directed at #UMass players by #Bonnies “fans” represents Franciscan values, I don’t know.”
This is just one of many negative tweets directed at the WolfPack over the years, and I’m unbelievably annoyed by it.
I attended the game last week, and I can’t remember a single instance where the WolfPack shouted something out of the ordinary or exceptionally vicious. We packed the Reilly Center and filled it with our usual enthusiastic, obsessive passion for our beloved Bonnies. Maybe we said a naughty word. Let’s not act like it’s never been done in sports before.
What would have been a more appropriate way to cheer on our favorite team? Perhaps shouting lines from the “Canticle of the Sun” or praying for divine intervention to secure a win would have been more fitting. Although St. Bonaventure is a Franciscan institution, for one to expect that Bonnies abide and follow the wisdom of St. Francis at all times is simply unrealistic. That would be akin to me asking this reporter to constantly uphold journalistic integrity; something he’s already proven through his tweets is impossible.
This was the first time since the Clinton administration that St. Bonaventure men’s basketball defeated a ranked opponent. The UMass game marked a hugely overdue landmark win for our team, and the student section rightfully applauded the Bonnies throughout the game and celebrated their victory wholeheartedly. If that offended people, I’ll speak for my classmates when I say, we’re not sorry.
And for the record, I don’t think sending passive-aggressive tweets about a small-school team beating a nationally ranked opponent meshes well with Franciscan values. I will contend, however, that Twitter is a forum for people to share their views and opinions, so Wawrow certainly has the right to express his wrong opinion.
Can the WolfPack be overzealous at times? Definitely. Does the WolfPack say things that can be interpreted as offensive? Obviously. Is the WolfPack one of the most passionate collegiate student sections in the country? Without a doubt; it’s a proven fact.
For all the haters who want to bring us down, just remember that they’ll never be Bonnies – it doesn’t run in their blood.
Matthew Laurrie is the opinion editor for The Bona Venture. His email is laurrimr11@bonaventure.edu
