Student group’s quest to energize basketball fan base helps foster change
Over the past few years, the CU Athletic Department has seen many open seats in the student section of Coors Events Center.
The Athletic Department is trying to change this trend with the help of the C-Unit, a student group that cheers for the men’s basketball team.
Connie Alejos, a member of the group, said many students who attended the basketball games felt there was never enough support for their team. With a small group of student fans, they decided to change that.
“We just wanted to create some sort of fan base for the men’s basketball team,” said Alejos, a junior majoring in sociology. “We knew the team really needed our help, so we figured, why not get something going?”
Member Aaron Sapiro said that he and two other CU students started the C-Unit two years ago as a way to attract the student support they wanted for the team.
“The reason we became so successful is because each one of us had different responsibilities and a different role to play,” said Sapiro, a junior broadcast news major.
Through a combination of marketing and commitment, Alejos said the C-Unit accomplished their main goal – to help their team win.
“We just really tried to create a good environment for them,” Alejos said. “When the team has a huge group of fans behind them, they really do become a better team.”
Over the past two years, the group gained about 40 to 50 core members, with about 800 to 1,000 people owning and wearing C-Unit shirts.
“We originally made about 20 shirts ourselves,” Sapiro said. “They were highlighter yellow and pretty awful. The Athletic Department approached us and asked us if we wanted their help.”
Sapiro said the C-Unit gained an even bigger following in 2006 with the sponsorship of the Athletic Department, who printed hundreds of T-shirts for members. The department also makes about 400 copies of the Buffalo Chip, the group’s main weapon against the opposing team, for each home game.
The Buffalo Chip is a sheet of paper that the C-Unit hands out with information about the opposing team. The sheet lists each player along with any information the group digs up about them, which is usually found from Facebook.
“We’ve found funny pictures of some of the players on Facebook before,” Sapiro said. “We like to blow them up or make lots of copies.”
Sapiro said the response from CU students has been extremely positive, especially when the Athletic Department gives out free stuff, like pizza, to fans that come out to support the team.
“Once you get going, people really want to be a part of something like this,” Sapiro said. “When you’re giving out free shirts, people want to wear them.”
Both Alejos and Sapiro said the C-Unit has built a strong relationship with the Athletic Department, which has allowed them to give input concerning many of the new changes at Coors Events Center. The Athletic Department consulted with the group to make one of its key changes – moving the student section to the area behind the basket.
“A big part of the decision came from the suggestions of the C-Unit,” said Tom McGann, director of game management and operations for the Athletic Department. “That’s where they wanted to be to make the most impact during the game.”
Sapiro said the small student section would often fill up for bigger games last year, making the larger area behind the basket an ideal place to move the students.
“We’ll fit in with the trend of a lot of other schools with the new section,” Sapiro said. “We really want to be a basketball powerhouse in the Big 12, and the move should help.”
The C-Unit is in for another change this year with the introduction of the new men’s basketball coach, Jeff Bzdelik.
“Bzdelik has a good track record,” Sapiro said. “He came into a situation that wasn’t the easiest, with a team that someone else recruited. But we’re excited for the new season.”
Although members of the C-Unit expressed their excitement about their success over the past few seasons, they said they need more student support to keep the group going strong.
“We really need help this season,” Sapiro said. “Anyone who is interested should come out and see what we’re about.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Amanda Walck at Amanda.Walk@colorado.edu
