Rosenstein | Hey Penn students, get in Line

An alarmingly large percentage of current Penn students are on track to graduate having never attended a basketball game nor even seen the insides of the Palestra, “College basketball’s most historic gym,” as the great PA announcer John McAdams famously coined it.

You don’t know what you’re missing.

Thankfully, a small group of dedicated students, led by former Fire Glen Miller blogger Justin Chang, has worked hard to improve turnout at this year’s Line (Penn’s tradition-laced season-ticket event which takes place Friday) and boost overall student attendance at sporting events, especially basketball games.

I commend Chang and company for their efforts ­— chalking the walk, passing out flyers, hanging banners and even e-mailing freshmen with a “Line Survival Guide” — but they still have to prove they can be effective. I hope all Penn students (especially freshmen) take heed of their hard work and recognize the magic of the Palestra. I urge you all to purchase season tickets and go to The Line this season.

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I’ve been lucky enough to hear many alumni’s stories of attending basketball games in the Palestra when the historic arena was packed with students and shaking with their energy.

Some of them were former Daily Pennsylvanian sports writers; many others were average students that had little interest in sports when they got to Penn.

All of them say the Palestra is the best place in the world to watch a basketball game.

Most students aren’t lucky enough to hear the stories I’ve heard — the last-second victory over Saint Joseph’s in the 1979 Final Four season, the 84-80 victory in 1982 over then-No. 10 Villanova, the renewal of the streamers tradition against St. Joe’s in 1993 (until a 1985 NCAA ban, fans threw streamers on the court after their team’s first basket of every game), and then-Brown coach Glen Miller’s memorable gesture in 2003 when he couldn’t hear the refs.

Perhaps most notable was another night of streamers at the Big 5’s 50th anniversary in 2006. The list goes on and on.

Today’s students don’t realize the profound impact the Palestra can have on the college experience at Penn.

I don’t profess to know any more about it than the rest of you, except insofar as the stories I’ve mentioned. But I do know that if you heard these stories for yourself, you would feel compelled to create your own memories.

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I know that students nowadays lack interest partly because the team has struggled the last two seasons. The average attendance rose from 5,167 during the 2006-07 Ivy title season (22-8, 13-1 Ivy) to 5,508 in 2007-08 (13-18, 8-6 Ivy). Undoubtedly the high morale boosted the numbers, which then dropped off after 07-08 to 4,018 last season (10-18, 6-8 Ivy).

The even worse record in 08-09 does not bode well for this year’s turnout, even though the squad should be improved.

But in reality, students should be drawn to the Palestra regardless. The Cathedral of College Basketball is the best place on campus to go crazy after a stressful week. Penn fans used to be the Ivy equivalent of Duke’s Cameron Crazies, and a packed Palestra can be louder than Cameron Indoor Stadium (which was actually modeled after the Palestra).

And without a doubt, a more rowdy student section would aid the team’s performance, like it did during the hey day of Penn hoops, and even as recently as winter 2007.

“Everyone who’s ever played in the Palestra believes that our fans make a difference,” former Penn hoops star and now Athletic Director Steve Bilsky told the DP last year after the announcement of the new ticket policy.

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Last year’s new policy attempted to revamp student interest. Among other changes, it eliminated assigned seats and provides various incentives for students to arrive at games early. It also requires students who turn out for The Line Announcement to actually attend The Line in order to sit directly behind the west basket. This year they’ve also added a $25 discount to Line participants.

The numbers show it: the policy did not bring out more students. Although exact statistics on student ticket sales were not available, the overall numbers declined last season.

Now the Athletic Department has turned to the students themselves — even to a former rabble-rousing blogger — but Chang and the rest of the Red and Blue Crew leaders are doing what they can.

Take notice. Keep an eye out for The Line Announcement this week, and spend this Friday night at the Palestra. Get to know the place.

You’ll thank me later.

Noah Rosenstein is a junior political science major from Hollywood, Fla., and is Sports Editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian. His e-mail address is rosenstein@dailypennsylvanian.com.

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