I just got home from the Ateneo-Adamson game today in Araneta Coliseum. Other than the disappointing loss we incurred from Adamson who we haven’t lost to in 14 years (Yep, no joke), the Blue Babble Battalion felt that what was more disappointing was the dead-fish crowd of Ateneo against the hyped-up Adamson crowd.
“Mag cheer kayo!” was what a bunch of my bandmates said as they pour all their energy into their drums but the crowd remained quiet and in their seats. I’ve then realized that an Ateneo crowd during the UAAP have become a culture far too hard to change.
Cultures vary across organization. All the schools’ crowds during UAAP games vary from each other - each with their own cultures and identities. UE, for example, has a crowd that cheers and jumps to every point whether it be a 2 pointer or even a 1. Just the mere fact that the ball is with their player, they're ecstatic. Though they lose, they don't stop creaming their lungs out. The DLSU crowd, i feel, has the best coordination when it comes to their color -green. In other schools, you see a sea of different colors but during a DLSU game, they seem to be ALL in green or at least that what it seems like to me. NU also does a lot of their hand movements during cheers. Other schools have their own gimmick and their own trip. I'd mention all the schools but i'm not quite familiar with most of them yet (Rookie). I do know however, the crowd in which i cheer with - the Ateneo crowd.
The Ateneo crowd's identity is the quiet seated people wearing blue or at least that's what it felt like during today's game when the Adamson crowd was completely eating our crowd with their loud cheering. This culture may have grown out of the Ateneo crowd in the past who really prefer to be discreet than be all wild like the crowd of other schools.
I'd delve deeper into this if only it would make the Ateneo crowd more alive than it was today.
