Exciting Night of Football

What a night of football we had on Thursday, right? The Bears triumphed over the Patriots in a thrilling match in Chicago, while down in the college ranks, there were two overtime games that kept everyone on the edge of their seats. Appalachian State pulled off an upset against JMU, winning 34-31 in Boone, and East Carolina choked away a double-digit lead in Memphis, losing 41-34. Those are the kinds of nights we fantasize about during the slow days of summer.

When you’re trudging through yet another unexciting WNBA game in July, it’s moments like these that remind you why you endure it—so you can enjoy fall nights like last Thursday.

Attendance Issues

One particular fanbase, however, clearly did not capitalize on the excitement of the evening—the so-called “fans” of the Memphis Tigers, who apparently forgot there was a game scheduled for Thursday.

Take a look at this: the official box score reported an attendance of over 27,000. Surely, some more fans trickled in after kickoff, but honestly, it’s difficult to see how that number was reached. It seems a bit ambitious, to say the least.

This situation reflects poorly, really. There’s no other way to put it. It’s disappointing for Memphis and its supporters.

“But, Zach, it was a Thursday night!” you might say. Well, yes, but what does that mean? Are fans really unable to attend Thursday games? Is there some sort of unwritten rule in Memphis that students and supporters can ONLY show up for Saturday games?

“But, Zach, it was East Carolina!” And? The Tigers currently sit at 5-2 and are still in contention for a playoff spot. Sure, they faced a setback against Tulane last week, which hurt their chances, but this is G6 football—anything can happen.

You would think that a 5-2 college football team would draw more of a crowd than a local Moose Lodge on a Sunday for brunch.

“Stop picking on us, Zach. There were a bunch of games last night! We can’t be the only ones missing out!” Well, actually…

It’s a whole different world out there, folks. Choose your fighters wisely.