Ask a Tigers supporter about their life as a Mizzou sports fan, and you’ll likely hear a lot about the school’s recent struggles. The football team hasn’t recorded a .500 season since 2014. The men’s basketball team hasn’t reached the .500 mark since their 2013-14 campaign.
And yet, hidden beneath the surface of revenue-sport mediocrity, there is a hidden world where being a fan of the black and gold is — fun?
In a television-dominated college sports landscape, it can be easy to forget about the little guys. The revenue sports are the ones that grab our attention, and when they go bad, fans sour. But the Tigers are excelling in the non-revenue sports. Mizzou wrestling, women’s basketball, softball and even women’s tennis are just a few of the teams who have dominated recently.
While most fans are more in tune with the ups and downs of football and men’s basketball, it’s important for Mizzou fans and students to remember that all athletes, in every sport, are a part of the Mizzou community and should be supported as such.
There is no better example of a great Mizzou sports story than wrestler J’den Cox. Cox hasn’t lost a match since Dec. 13, 2015, a winning streak of 40 matches. He’s also won two national championships for the Tigers. And in between the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, Cox not only qualified for the Rio Olympics, but won the bronze medal for freestyle wrestling in the 86 kg weight class while representing the United States.
On top of his success on the mat, Cox has become staple of the Columbia community. He has appeared often at Mizzou sporting events, even singing the national anthem (and very well, I might add) before Mizzou football’s game against Georgia last fall.
As a whole, the wrestling team is 11-4. Despite missing out on the Mid-American Conference regular season title for the first time in three years, the Tigers finished 7-1 in conference play and will head to the MAC Championships as the No. 7 ranked team in the nation. If you’re a Tigers fan aching to cheer for a national title contender, this is your best bet.
But the wrestling team isn’t the only one on campus worth cheering for. March Madness is quickly approaching, and Mizzou has one basketball team that appears destined for the big dance. It certainly isn’t the men’s team.
Despite opening the year with season-ending injuries to two key players (Jordan Frericks and Bri Porter), Missouri women’s basketball finished 11-5 in conference play in the gauntlet that is the Southeastern Conference and recently locked up the third seed in the conference tournament. By far the most exciting triumph at Mizzou Arena this season was the team’s 62-60 victory over then-No. 6 South Carolina, capped off by a last-second layup from first-team all-SEC sophomore guard Sophie Cunningham.
There are also plenty of great teams gearing up for their spring seasons. The softball team is ranked No. 24 and already has wins over No. 7 Washington and No. 14 James Madison.
Despite having played just one home match so far this season, the tennis team is 9-2. And the baseball team has won seven straight after losing to Eastern Michigan in the season opener.
The point isn’t that Mizzou fans should only support teams that win instead of losing ones like football and men’s basketball. I like those sports as much as anybody, and I even attended all 12 football games (home and away) this season. The point is that there are a lot of talented teams and athletes whose triumphs far outweigh the struggles of Mizzou’s two biggest sports.
So take in a softball game at the team’s new stadium. Cheer on the women’s basketball team as Cunningham drops 20 points in an NCAA tournament game. Even travel to St. Louis and watch the wrestling team compete at the national championships. Branch out and discover the somewhat-hidden stars of Mizzou athletics.
_Edited by Eli Lederman | elederman@themaneater.com_