Apathy is the Achilles' heel of our generation.
We can't be bothered to take interest in anything that requires even the smallest bit of effort on our part.
As a result our school suffers.
Every Sunday the campus is littered with those sporting the numbers of their favorite NFL stars and the air is electrified by the constant buzz of rivalry trash talk.
On Saturday however, the jerseys are nowhere to be found and victory is a word seldom heard. I can't help but wonder why.
This year marks my fourth as a student at UB, and over the course of my education I have missed a total of two home football games. Though the reasons for missing those games were beyond my control, I still regret missing them more than I can say.
Even when Turner Gill led his troops to Toronto for UB's first ever bowl game appearance, I was there. I packed up my things and took an incredible road trip that ended in one of the best weekends of my life.
Nothing else at this university quite measures up to standing shoulder to shoulder with your fellow classmates screaming chants, booing the referees and just cheering on the Bulls in the hopes of a stunning victory.
When I think back on the all of those Saturdays I spent on my feet in those stands hollering until I no longer could, it pains me to know how much more alive that stadium could've have been if all of the so called football fans on campus would have been bothered to find their way out.
With the exception of academics or work, there is no reason to miss a home game. The tickets are free and the stadium is within walking distance of anywhere on campus.
If every one of the 18,000-plus undergrads at UB were to come out to a game, the sheer roar of our combined voices would deafen the opposition.
While UB's team may not be the cream of the crop, they are still a Division I-A team and are worthy of your recognition. They put their hearts and souls into the team in the name of our school, yet our student body still cannot be bothered to support them.
They deserve better.
If you consider yourself a fan of football or our school in general, I challenge each and every one of you who reads this to prove it at UB's home game against Temple on Oct. 23.
As always, I will be there wearing my brightest blue and cheering alongside all of the other UB faithfuls. I expect to see more students there than I ever have before.
Besides, what better reason is there to down a few brews with your best friends in the middle of the day?
E-mail: james.twigg@ubspectrum.com
