I have some news. I don’t want you to be disappointed in me, because you shouldn’t be. I’m a proud Antler.
Contrary to popular belief, us Antlers aren’t bad people. Well, not all the time, at least.
We are just a misunderstood breed of college students that _really_ likes Mizzou basketball.
Yes, before I go on, we did get kicked out of two games last year. But only two.
Some are under the impression that we didn’t go to a single game last year because we were intercepted in the Hearnes Center parking lot, only to be whisked away by MUPD, never to be seen again.
Well, if you’ve gone to any basketball games lately, you know this is not the case. On the contrary, our rowdy group of guys has rebounded quite nicely, turning more to creativity than crudeness.
For example, the Jan. 17 game versus Tennessee. Instead of going to the game in our classic black shirts emblazoned with the familiar gold “A,” the Antlers donned the garb worn by the people that call Rocky Top home.
In fact, many people have taken notice of the improvement. Coach Anderson and his staff, coach Robin Pingeton and her comrades and even some fellows in the athletic department (although a certain Mr. Alden still isn’t the biggest fan of the group) have begun to praise our dedication to the program.
The Antlers started in 1976 in a time where Mizzou basketball was in a dark place. Hearnes Center seating was awarded by a lottery system; a person or group could enter their names to get season tickets in the student section.
The original Antlers scored tickets in the front row of section A16, and were some of the only fans in the arena.
The name originates from a combination of the Missouri Waltz and Saturday Night Live, believe it or not. On a Sunday game in ’76, after watching SNL the night before, the hooligans in the front row put their hands next to their heads during the Missouri Waltz, like one of the part-time players on the show the night before.
As the band played and the crowd swayed, a journalist across the court from the student section said, “Look at those kids, they look like a bunch of Antlers!”
And that day, the group was born.
As of late, the Antlers have had little trouble with event staff with their signs or in-game antics and have created new, less raunchy chants.
Recently, our group has even taken the support of the team one step further: We have become a part of the recruiting process for the basketball program. Whether it be via Twitter or appearances at recruits’ visits to Columbia, we’ve tried our best to persuade potential future Tigers.
The recent increase in involvement has led to a turning of the heads, so to speak, when our group moves forward in the stands before we are supposed to. Our group’s activity has lead to some airtime on ESPN, as well as the Mizzou Arena Jumbotron, with some good words from the season ticket holders in the crowd.
Now that those pesky Antlers are doing their part, it’s time for the rest of the student section to do theirs.
Although the team’s record is not as good as in seasons past, this year is a rebuilding year, with a new coach, new staff and an almost entirely new team.
The team plays better with the support of a huge crowd, pumping energy into the team. So take a page out of the Antlers’ book: Be loud, be proud and show up to watch your basketball team, ‘cause they need you now more than ever.