Drake U Can't Buy A Fan | Stientjes's Blog

On December 6th, I had the pleasure of traveling to Des Moines, Iowa--the town where I grew up--to attend a Drake University basketball game. I am a Drake U. die-hard fan, and I have been since I was a kid. I use to have my Dad drive me downtown to watch Drake U. play at dilapidated Vet's Auditorium. I confess that I had not been back to Des Moines to see a home game since the Vet's Auditorium venue was replaced by the posh, on-campus Knapp Center around 12-years ago; but I have attended at least one away game and the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, in St. Louis, each year for the past 10 years to watch Drake U. play. After following Drake U.'s stellar 2007-2008 season, which included (a) a national ranking, (b) a NCAA tourney appearance, and (c) the Missouri Valley Conference regular season & tournament titles; I expected the home-court stands to be filled with ravenous Drake U. fans like myself. Instead, I was shocked to find the stands half-empty and less than two dozen students behind the backboards. A couple young fans sitting next to me, to whom I complained, sheepishly confided in me that this is a typical home crowd for my beloved team. "How could this be?," I ask. Things got worse when I scowered the entire local shopping mall, after the game, failing to find any Drake U. paraphernalia to purchase. Sweatshirts, t-shirts, and caps for the in-state rivals were plentiful, but Drake U. items were nowhere to be found. It is harder to find a Drake U. fan in Des Moines than it is for a Whistleblower to find http://www.rewardtax.com/.

Granted, Drake U. basketball fell off the map between 1991 and 2006. It is not hard for the local fan base to forget about a team that averaged 8 wins and 21 losses during those 15 dark years. Nevertheless, Drake U. has dominated their in-state rivals the past three years (Iowa U., Iowa State, and UNI).

Does the entire town of Des Moines fail to realize what a gem it has playing within its boundaries? Other members of the Missouri Valley Conference boast gorgeous fan bases. Two-years ago I watched Drake U. play Southern Illinois U. in Carbondale, Illinois before a nearly-packed house of 9,000 Saluki fans. Last year, I observed 7,500 Braves fans turn-out to watch a mediocre Bradley U. in Peoria, Illinois. At the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis; Wichita State, Creighton U., Illinois State, and Missouri State have a nice-sized traveling fan base every year. Missouri Valley Conference basketball is exciting stuff, and the Conference has played beyond expectations the past few years in both its non-conference schedule and the NCAA tourney. So, why does Drake U. fail to get the support that it deserves? My opinion is that, generally speaking, Des Moines residents are big basketball fans; but their support is mostly slanted in favor of Iowa U. I concede that there are very few markets where the flagship university-of-the-state commands a monopoly comparable to that of Iowa U. Nevertheless, it does not even appear that Drake U. can even attract its student and local alumni base. The students receive free season tickets--for crying out loud! Are you telling me that, to the students, Drake U. basketball is not worth the walk across campus? Come on! This is Des Moines, Iowa we are talking about here! There is nothing more attractive going on that prevents you from going to these games.

Sadly, the answer may be as simple as the idea that Drake U. has no school spirit and Des Moines has no hometown spirit. How I hope that my morbid hypothesis is untrue. Maybe the students and Des Moines residents can prove me wrong during the rest of the season?