Everyone is a Winner!

You’re a winner!  And you’re a winner! EVERYONE IS A WINNER!

The theme of the night was social media night, but if you hadn’t known it to begin with you would have thought you were sitting in an Oprah Winfrey show getting Oprah’s favorite things for the new year.  Don’t believe me?  People won everything under the sun, from furniture such as recliners and mattresses to pizza deals, gift cards, and of course the customized social media night T-shirts!  It seemed like everyone who attended the game won something… Except the Ball State Men’s Basketball team… 

It has been a great year thus far for the men’s basketball team and they have had so much success compared to years past.  The final score of the game was 72-69 in a losing effort to the Ohio Bobcats.  Obviously the game was close and if the baskets had been handed out as freely as all of the items people won that night Ball State would have ran away with the game.  The team did have a chance to tie it in the last seconds as they had the ball with 11.2 seconds left, but an errant play resulted in no points and a loss for the home team. 

However, as I’m sure Oprah would suggest, let’s stay focused on the positives of the night!  The fan showing was better than it had been all year.  People flocked to the game, whether it was because of the product on the court or Oprah’s giveaways we’ll never know.  I for one would like to think it is because of the great team we’ve got.  Not only did fans get so much free stuff throughout the contest, they also got to participate in other ways as well.  Fans got to vote on what songs they wanted to be played by the band, participate in on-court promos during time outs and half time, and even submit their favorite photos of the game for prizes. 

It was as if Santa came again in early February to hand out all of the presents he forgot to give you in December!

When all was said done, yes Ball State came out on the losing in… But let’s look at things on the bright side; they’re still in first place in the MAC West Division!  They continue to surprise a fan base that hasn’t had much to cheer for in recent years, and it is time we give them the recognition they deserve.

Social Media Night: http://www.ballstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=210701094&DB_OEM_ID=14200 

Gifs retrieved from: giphy.com

Why it's time to be a Cardinal fan

Growing up in Indiana there are usually three main schools that really have the hearts of college sports fanatics; IU, Purdue, and Notre Dame.  Now just because these are the big three doesn’t mean there aren’t those die hard Indiana State, Butler, and maybe even some Valparaiso fans out there.  But I am here to tell you why this season in college basketball you should look no further than Ball State! 

Ball State’s Men’s Basketball program currently has a record of 15-8 overall with a Mid-American Conference record of 6-4.  That is good for first in the MAC’s West Division!  The last time Ball State won the MAC championship was in 2000! 

Now we all know it is easy to be a bandwagon fan of the best team every year, but how much fun is that really?  I personally have been a Cubs fan my whole life and although I wouldn’t suggest putting yourself through that much agony I would suggest cheering for the underdog every once in a while.  What better underdog to cheer for than your own school?  Here is the thing that really gets to me: most Ball State students aren’t even fans of their own school!  You see more IU, Purdue, and Notre Dame apparel worn around campus than any Ball State gear on a daily basis and that is just sad.  You’re paying this much money for an education, the least you could do is have some school pride! 

So how do you start getting involved in Ball State athletics you might ask?  There is a great opportunity coming up on February 9^th (THAT’S TOMORROW) at 7PM in Worthen Arena to see the men’s basketball team kick some tail against Ohio!  It gets even better because it is also the Second Annual #ChirpChirp Social Media Night and that means the opportunity to win FREE STUFF which is music to the ears of college students.  

FREE STUFF?!

If you haven’t yet, go follow the Cardinals @BallStateSports on social media and use the #ChirpChirp to show your excitement for the big game before it’s too late.  Interacting with the Cardinals on social media using the hashtag automatically enters you into a drawing for many different awards from Ball State’s sponsors.  If you’re like me, you practically live on anything and everything that you can get for free while paying tons of money for your college education.  What better way to get free stuff than by also going to a free game and supporting this awesome basketball team we have right here in Muncie, Indiana!  

Social Media Night: http://www.ballstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=62158&SPID=6786&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=210656150&DB_OEM_ID=14200

GIF's retrieved from: giphy.com 

3 Reasons You Should Go to Ball State's #ChirpChirp Social Media Night

Ball State University's Men's Basketball Team is hosting their second annual #ChirpChirp Social Media night in Worthen Arena on February 9th beginning at 7 p.m.  Here are the top 3 reasons you don’t want to miss out on this once in a year night of entertainment.

1. Free Prizes & More!

          If you’re like me and every other broke college student out there you live off of anything and everything free.  Look no further, #ChirpChirp Social Media night is giving us tons of opportunities to put in minimal effort and reap the rewards of free items!  How do you take advantage of this?  All you have to do is continue to do the same thing you’re doing all day anyways; use social media! 

          If you haven’t yet, go follow the Cardinals @BallStateSports on social media and use the #ChirpChirp to show your excitement for the big game before it’s too late.  Interacting with the Cardinals on social media using the hashtag automatically enters you into a drawing for many different awards from Ball State’s sponsors. 

          Not only do you have a chance to win various free items, each student can register now to get a FREE customized t-shirt with your twitter handle on the back!  All you have to do is send an email to bsusports@bsu.edu with your name, BSU ID number, shirt size, and social media handle you want on the back.  As you can see I had a blast at last year’s game (below), received my free shirt, and even got to meet former head football coach Pete Lembo! 

2. Great Indiana Basketball 

          If you haven’t realized yet…. Ball State can ball!  This year’s team is no joke they were event featured on Sportscenter’s Top 10 Plays last week for this crazy game winning shot! - Ball State's Crazy Game Winner

          The Cardinals currently have a record of 13-7 and are in second place in the MAC Conference.  Basketball has been worshiped as a sport in the state of Indiana for a long time and this Cardinal’s team deserves the same treatment.  In 49 other states it’s just basketball… This is Indiana.

3. Meet Charlie Cardinal! 

 

          There are some things that every Cardinal has to do during their time in Muncie, one of those is meeting the Cardinal himself; Charlie!  Getting a picture with Charlie is a must before graduation, some even say Ball State withholds your degree until they’ve verified that you have.  So don’t take a chance with your future degree, take this opportunity to cross a picture with Charlie off of your Ball State bucket list.

If none of these reasons appeal to you and you’re still undecided about coming to see this team kick some Ohio butt, be sure to follow @BallStateSports on social media for continual updates leading up to the big day.  Who knows, maybe there will be even more free stuff headed your way!  Whether you can make it to the game or not, you can still participate on social media from your home by using the #ChirpChirp!