Cohen | Wrecking Crew topples the competition

The Division of Public Safety has a massive, illicit conspiracy going on right under its nose.

At least, that’s how President of Theta Xi Loren Mead and most of the his fraternity sees it.

“The athletes in our house think it’s criminal that no one goes to watch the [Penn] games,” Mead said in an e-mail. “Penn used to dominate Ivy sports, thanks in large part to school spirit.”

This fall, it is clear that Penn still dominates Ivy sports with five teams in championship contention. However, student support has been largely underwhelming.

But Mead and his brothers, who are for the most part Quakers rowers, are putting their foot down.

And this foot comes with a steel-toed boot.

The Theta Xi Wrecking Crew — so named because the group is mostly on Penn crew and dons hard hats at games — is out to trample the Penn student body’s “criminal” negligence toward Red and Blue sports.

It all began last spring when a group of Theta Xi brothers were visiting Harvard and wandered into a Penn-Harvard volleyball match. They got rowdy — as frat boys are wont to do — and the Quakers won.

Thinking they were onto something, those brothers recruited a larger group to go cheer on the Red and Blue in the another Ivy match against league runner-up Yale.

That match — which the Quakers won 3-1 — was the genesis of what has become the Theta Xi Wrecking Crew.

In addition to hard hats, the crew wears tank tops — weather permitting — and has tried unsuccessfully to secure a boot sponsorship from Timberland.

Seriously.

After Sprint Football’s 36-21 loss at home to Army on Friday, the crew’s record dropped to 3-1 this season, 5-1 overall.

So, it begs the question that anyone who has taken Psychology 001 should be familiar with: correlation or causation?

Mead thinks that he has a pretty definitive answer.

“We bring a winning atmosphere to Penn sports and help the Quakers rally when the chips are down,” he said.

But he added, “We can’t take all the credit.”

It’s a safe bet that Mead and the crew will be at as many contests as possible, providing raucous — and often crude — support.

But, one must note, the Wrecking Crew is hardly the only group of athletes supporting their fellow fighting Quakers.

Basketball co-captain Zack Rosen, who tried to excite fans via a guest editorial in the Daily Pennsylvanian last season, was also in attendance at Sprint Football’s loss to Army, as were many of his teammates.

In fact, Franklin Field’s stands appeared to have had as many fans wearing Penn athletic warm-up gear as civilian spectators.

While it may be endearing that Penn athletes believe in protecting their own, so to speak, Mead hopes he and Quakers athletes are just the beginning.

“The next step for us is rallying more students to fill the cheering sections and building on our momentum.”

Just how the Crew plans to persuade others to join their fervor, remains to be seen.

For the time being, Mead and his Theta Xi brothers are focused on putting some sparks back in the student body’s relationship with Penn sports.

“We like to think we are making a difference by bringing passion back to this school,” Mead said.

Here’s hoping.

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