For the city: UH Basketball leads school spirit – The Cougar

School spirit in college is a sort of culture. Pride in one’s institution brings all students together. It can fuel a sense of belonging in places that are populated with thousands and feel so huge. 

Most of the time, college school spirit has a lot to do with having a good sports teams. It puts the school’s name out there as they are being discussed across the nation.

A good team gives a lot of bragging rights and gives students something to champion. It also gives the surrounding population, who may not attend the school, something to root for. 

At UH, our basketball team is what drives the most school spirit. As a heavy commuter school, going to class and then going straight home with little campus involvement is very normalized. This results in indifference towards our school and a lack of school pride overall. 

However, in the months of basketball season, there’s a different energy emerging from our student body. This culture and collective identity, which can be seen at other large schools, is suddenly beaming at UH. 

Basketball is all anyone can talk about. With our team making the championships last year, the excitement going into this season felt bigger than ever.

So far, the team has won 23 out of 27 games and is ranked fifth in the Associated Press Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll. People post about this all over their social media accounts and talk about it nonstop. 

The Fertitta Center holds soul during each game. The beautiful, bold red that is painted on most surfaces highlights so much UH character. The stands are always packed with people cheering for our team.

The Spirit of Houston with its outstanding music and performances fuel passion and excitement. Being so close to the court and experiencing the magic that the basketball team and fans create is an experience like no other. 

This energy isn’t just trapped in there, though. It bleeds out across campus and into all of Houston. Last year during March Madness, it seemed like the whole city was thrilled about UH basketball. Restaurants and bars were hosting watch parties, the support for UH felt bigger than ever. 

UH basketball often uses the slogan “For the City,” which connects our culture here at UH to Houston’s broader culture. The team prides itself on representing our school and our city, unites UH and Houston as one. This has really brought out how supportive our Houston community is and how we always show out for each other. 

UH as a whole can sometimes feel hard to belong to. Having spirit and pride about our school is starting to change that though. The basketball team and all their successes have motivated our students and the whole city to get up and scream “Go Coogs” in all settings. 

School spirit allows people to let their school become a part of their identity. This culture can extend across generations, and our basketball team is influencing this immensely.

Our student population and successes continue to grow every day. Having school spirit and feeling a sense of pride when you say you go to UH is special. Hopefully, the basketball team continues to see success, our student body grows in school spirit, and UH as a whole continues to achieve. 

opinion@thedailycougar.com