On Feb. 2, the NC State women’s basketball team beat Duke 63-60 in Durham. This was an exciting game with plenty of fans; however, half of those fans were cheering for the red and white.
The annual ambassador trip is an event that allows alumni and members of the pep band to go to a game around the Triangle for women’s basketball with transportation and admission being provided.
Most might think that bringing a bunch of fans from the opposing team would make the game worse for the home crowd, but I think it makes the overall experience better. Duke’s women’s basketball is not as popular as NC State’s, and it is easy for Pack fans to show up to the women’s basketball games with such a good team and an established program.
However, for sports that are not as popular yet, maybe having an “ambassador trip” is not a bad idea. These types of trips could do so much for the school’s reputation and for the popularity of the sport.
There was no doubt this game became a lot more exciting for both sides since there was more of a crowd. The fact that the game was so close also contributed to the “hostile” atmosphere.
As someone who went on this trip, I can confirm that this was a great experience, and that the Duke staff was very welcoming. If we could do a similar experience for other sports here at NC State, I believe we could present the generosity of the Wolfpack and show them our teams are well established.
A good example of something similar was the wrestling match against the Tar Heels, which had one of the best turnouts in Reynolds history. Both Tar Heels and Wolfpack fans were there to cheer on their respective teams, and it turned out to be one of the most entertaining wrestling matches of the year.
This intense rivalry match also increased the popularity of the wrestling team and showed how entertaining of a sport wrestling is. Other less popular sports should take after this and encourage their opposition to bring fans along, even if there are incentives to come.
Soccer or baseball would be great teams to start a similar trip. There is enough fan support to get a large number of people, and the teams are normally very successful.
With the location of NC State in relation to some other ACC schools, there is no reason that this shouldn’t be a more frequent event. Duke, UNC and Wake Forest are in direct driving distance, and busing fans to support their teams is a great investment.
