30 years ago my parents, a young married couple in Tucson, AZ, had no insurance or money to pay for the upcoming birth of their first child. They turned to The University of Arizona Medical Center for assistance. My mother was immediately enrolled in a program for aspiring Obstetricians that would cover all pre and post-natal care. Immediately, from birth, I became a University of Arizona Wildcat happily in-debted to them. Shortly after my arrival to Tucson, Coach Lute Olson came to town and brought a new identity to this city and this University through the Men's Basketball Program. The town fell in love with this program, this Coach and I enjoyed the ride at an early age. Every March we had a game to watch, a team to route for from our small town, and pride to see our landscape continuously on national television. I could not wait until the day I enrolled as a student to solidify my status as a Wildcat!
Over the years, my one complaint has been with the McKale Center crowd. Shortly after Coach Olson's arrival, the student section was minimized to make way for higher paying season long subscribers that flocked to Tucson during the winter months. While attending games, I was repeatedly disappointed by late arriving fans who would sit on their hands and choose to be observers rather than participators in the fantastic mayhem of College Basketball. In fact, I was told many times to return to my seat after passionately cheering a great play or angrily disputing a close call by a referee, you know, being a fan at the game. However, this year my disappointment with the "McKale Center Faithful" has reached a new high, or low depending on your perspective. Attendance at this year's games has been the lowest ever since Coach Olson's arrival, this is unacceptable. During a time that our boys need us the most, these season ticket holders have found something better to do on game day, not even making the effort to sell their seats to the life-long fans that have been starved to root on a program that has given them much joy for more than two decades. Open up a pay pal account, a CraigsList ad, even a Classified Post in the Arizona Daily star to allow us True Wildcats to attend these games and yell until our voices are hoarse. We owe it to this team's dedication, effort, Coach Olson's legacy, the streak that has given us the opportunity to Dance in March, and the program that put Tucson, AZ in the national spotlight.
Keywords: Arizona, Arizona Wildcats, Lute Olson, Olson, Tucson, Wildcats
