A Seminoles fan won't abandon her dissed team

	The Walk-On Jenn Sterger is a senior at Florida State and has appeared in Maxim.She is a favorite of not only Brent Musberger, but also college sports fans everywhere.
	They might not be in the Big Dance, but that doesn't mean Jenn is going to abandon her Seminoles in their quest to win the NIT. Photo Courtesy of Jenn Sterger

By Jenn Sterger

The Tampa Tribune said it all on Monday morning: "Noles snubbed by NCAA." By the time I finished the article, I had a queasy feeling in my stomach like the one you get after a long night at the bar.

Just two weeks ago, my boys defeated No. 1-ranked Duke. We then went down to Miami and reduced the Hurricanes to a mere breeze. You think that all this would add credibility to our NCAA resume. But, no. We are now reduced to playing in the NIT (a.k.a. "Not In" Tournament). I don't mean to bash the NIT, but who makes these snub decisions anyway? I hope they're not made by the folks at the BCS! (I'm still grappling with how their ranking system works.)

I didn't dare go to my home message boards after we got snubbed because a message board the morning after is always like a psychotherapy session. You can time the explosion of Internet expletives (you know the ones I am talking about) and the IMHO's about how things "should have gone,'" down to the minute. Message board meltdown in... 3...2...1...

So instead, I did what I do best. I lurked on the ACC message boards. Don't get me wrong. I love the ACC dearly, but listening to other teams talk about their bids, their odds, their championship hopes, made me feel more left out than the fat kid in dodge ball.

My take on the situation? We got hosed. I'm not saying that just because it's my team, but this year's Florida State squad was loaded with talented players. We have an enthusiastic coaching staff that spent the past year building a stronger, more unified team. So if the talent and coaching were there, what went wrong?

As much as it pains me to say this, look at the Florida Gators. Okay, better example: look at Cameron Indoor Stadium. What do all great teams have behind them? Legions of loyal fans.

I have been to the mountain top. I have seen the promised land that is the upper, upper level of Tucker, where if you aren't careful, you might get altitude sickness. And I did it, sans the cowgirl hat. Looking down at the arena below me, I sat in disbelief. It was like looking at the attendance of an 8 a.m freshman bio class: empty seats everywhere.

These are called building years, people! You don't go from being a team without a single scorer in double digits to winning a national championship. But every team benefits from having a dedicated student section. What this school lacks is a "sixth man."

If there is one thing I advocate, it's school spirit. College is supposed to be one of the best experiences of our lives. You invest four (plus) years of your life for a sheet of paper? I don't think so. You devote yourself to a school, its colors, and its mascot, but more so to its team.

Walking around campus today, you wouldn't know we lost to Wake, or are playing tonight, or that we even have a basketball team, for that matter. That's sad. I have this advice for my 'Noles: do some recruiting of the basketball fan variety. Our boys deserve it. I'm not saying you have to be the next Speedo Guy, but how 'bout some spirit? A little body paint never hurt anyone. If you can't be an athlete, be an athletic supporter.