Coming from a small town, school spirit is everything.

Seriously, people go all out. I even used to wear two different colored Converse to match my high school’s colors.

So imagine my surprise when I went to a Chico State women’s basketball game in January and there was almost no one there.

Sure, a whole herd and a half of students showed up later for the men’s game, but that’s not the point.

There are plenty of other sports teams here on campus, both club and collegiate, yet I’ve heard that the soccer games are so quiet that you can hear the players breathe on the field.

And what about rugby? Chico State has two amazing rugby teams that really kick ass and yet the stands are also pretty bare when they play.

When I was in high school, you’d have to be dead or brutally maimed to miss a game, and we took our basketball and football really seriously.

Chico might be lacking in the football department, but that is no excuse for students to slack on the school spirit.

We are wildcats and we need to bring our love of our teams and school to each and every game.

So next week, let’s don our best red and white apparel and make Willie proud by continuing the tradition of Wildcat Wednesdays.

And come Friday, I hope to see all of my fellow Cats at both the women’s and men’s basketball games.

Megan Mann can be reached at [email protected] or @meganisthemann on Twitter.