For University alum Larry Gies, sports are all about a community coming together. Before tipoff for Illinois men’s basketball’s game against Tennessee at Bridgestone Arena on Dec. 6, Gies talked about what an off-campus event like this means.
“I think it’s just all about community,” Gies said. “Life’s about community, life’s about interacting with people, so I think this is a really special moment to be doing it in Nashville.”
It’s no secret that Gies appreciates the Illinois athletics community. Earlier this year, he made a historic $100 million donation to the Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics.
As an alum, Gies shared how sporting events bring together and can better the Illini family in the future.
“Sports is a bond, bringing the community together,” Gies said. “Think about how we help the University out. We’ll get a lot more donations from the alums, right? Which is good.”
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The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics has a rich history of receiving donations to transform the landscape of Illinois sports. In recent years, Illinois athletics has been able to update its facilities mainly due to the generosity of donors. The $100 million Gies donated is just the next stepping stone into building a longer-lasting legacy and bright future of Illinois sports, from the basketball court to the football field, and everything in between.
With more attention around Illinois athletics and its success, fans are having more opportunities to come together and celebrate being Illini outside of Champaign. When asked about attending neutral site games, fans mostly agreed that the opportunity is like no other.
“I love them,” said University alum Jason Leigh. “You get Illini from around the country to come to different locations. They can all meet up. Shows your reach, how well our fan base travels.”
Rallying up fan bases on the road is another way to add more emotion and energy to games. When junior forward Jake Davis hit a corner three, the Illini fans erupted with joy. Or, the Volunteer crowd made their presence known when it came time for the Illini to walk out on the court, as the arena filled with thousands of fans booing.
Other fans, like alums Nicholas Pluta and Ryan Siu, shared how neutral site games are the perfect excuse to get a weekend away. Siu, for example, flew into Nashville from New Mexico and said he would not have been in Nashville that weekend otherwise.
“It’s kind of a special event for us to be able to be here tonight,” said Ben Driver, University of Tennessee, Knoxville alum. “We’re glad we’re here.”
Many fans also agreed that they would not have been at an Illinois vs. Tennessee matchup unless it was in Nashville. Greg Driver, a Tennessee fan, summed it up by mentioning how neutral-site games also serve as an opportunity for fans to come and experience new places. While the Illini were technically the visiting team, Illini fans made their presence known in Nashville and gave the Volunteers a run for their money.
“There’s a lot of Illini who live in Nashville now, so it’s great to have everyone get together as a community,” Gies said. “It’s just fun. Now, I would rather be in Champaign.”
As a neutral site game, the majority of the fans had to travel to the 615, and they all had their reasons for being there. For some fans, it’s the players who mean more than anything. For Chris Martinovic, his Croatian ties to junior centers Tomislav Ivišić and Zvonimir Ivišić are what made him come to Nashville to support Illinois. His journey in supporting the Ivišić brothers is more than just their journey at Illinois.
“I’ve known them since Kentucky,” Martinovic said. “So we’re really close and come to support them whenever we can.”
Martinovic was accompanied by Tyler Russell, a senior at the University of Kentucky, who is called an “honorary Croatian.”
“I follow the Croatian guys,” Russell said. “I wouldn’t really say I’m an Illinois fan, but Tomislav and Big Z … I really keep track of them a lot. I see how personable they are with him (Martinovic).”
For other fans, like the Pinkley family, rooting for the Tennessee Volunteers is in their DNA. The Pinkley family has parents, Kristy and Tyson, who went to the UT and graduated in 1998. Now, their daughter Kaelyn, who is a senior, gets to share the same joy in watching their team take on new opponents in these neutral-site games.
“I think they’re a good idea,” Kaelyn Pinkley said. “I think they’re really fun. They bring different teams together.”
Kristy Pinkley also shared that her favorite thing is being able to witness fan bases travel in support of their teams. Tennessee fan Kyle Engels had similar thoughts.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for fans of teams that probably don’t live nearby to go see games,” Engels said. “It also evens up the fan base, too, and it’s good for the economy.”
Beyond basketball, Illini and Volunteer fans have another upcoming opportunity to travel to Nashville and root for their teams this December. Illinois will face Tennessee once again, but this time on a football field. The Music City Bowl takes place Dec. 30, and with the amount of excitement about a basketball game in Nashville, football is destined to have just as much enthusiasm.
“I think it’s great because it brings the whole Illini community to another venue,” Gies said about neutral site games. “We were just at Barstool with the coach, Coach B (Bret Bielema), the football team, and everybody was all shouting ‘I-L-L.’ Then, down the street for two blocks, we could see Illini.”
Football head coach Bret Bielema will soon be able to experience what Illini and Volunteer fans bring to Music City.
“I think it’s always good to bring us to our fans, right?” Bielema said. “Fans come here and have a great opportunity to do that today.”
The bowl game should include a variety of different fans from all over, with their various reasons for being there. Whether someone is the child of alumni, a student, an alum themselves or just a fan of specific players, people come together from vastly different walks of life to form a community.
“I never take for granted our fans,” basketball head coach Brad Underwood said. “How they turn out and show up … my hat’s off to them to help us tonight.”
Fans are a crucial part of the sporting atmosphere. From gathering the community together, supporting their team, to coming together for a common goal, sports fans are an essential part of the game day experience.
@lauram0131
