This November, there was a robust attendance for Arkansas State’s men’s basketball game against UA Little Rock, a longtime in-state opponent. Included among the 5,000 fans who showed was an unusual number of media members, including a young man from Memphis “representing the region.” As the game progressed – a tightly contested affair until halfway through the second half – the young man from Memphis said, “Is it always this quiet at Red Wolves games?”

O, you Beautiful and Tranquil Arkansas State Fans, your peace is endearing.

To the uninitiated, the calm can be unnerving. The A-State Murmur is a living din that rises and falls with the execution of every slam dunk, every 20 yard run, every extra base hit. Those who first experience this phenomena enviably ask “where’s the energy,” not recognizing that they’re in the very presence of the power Arkansas State fans have expertly harnessed – anxious energy. I’ve jokingly recommended that more “drunken hillbillies” attend Red Wolves sporting events. After all, nobody is willing to launch a litany of intense good cheer than inebriated good ole boys, fueled by team spirit and last call. Jonesboro isn’t that kind of city, and Arkansas State fans aren’t those kinds of patrons.

Our vibe is “Let’s Just Wait and See.” We’ve stranded too many men on second, allowed too many three-point buzzer beaters, endured too many fumbles in the red zone to feel confident enough to unchain our emotions. We’ve spent decades being condescendingly told by more privileged circles to “know our role.” We once had an athletic director beg Arkansans to make the Red Wolves their “Plus One.” You want a burst of unbridled joy from an Arkansas State fan? Give is more than one column inch in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

We’re a tough crowd. A blue collar crowd. We stand on defensive third downs. We remain standing until the Red Wolves drop their first bucket. But our lips are tight. Our arms are perpetually crossed. Our expectations are rarely met, but when they are, it feels more like relief than joy. Thank God that fourth-and-one worked out!

Saturday’s game against Georgia State, attended by 5,617 of the Red Wolves faithful, witnessed Arkansas State’s brutalizing of the Panthers with its trademark stoicism, breaking character only when a three-pointer landed or the referee called an egregious foul. When it was over, and the Panthers abandoned the hardwood with slumped shoulders, there were smiles and applause and high-fives from the crowd. The players hung around for selfies and a wave of scarlet cheerfully exited First National Bank Arena. But the overall vibe remained “Let’s Wait and See.”

PHOTO CREDITS are my own