CUMMINGS: BU athletics will surprise you

Now that we are two months into the new school year and I have officially adjusted to my new life here, I think it’s appropriate to articulate just how satisfied I am with my life at Boston University.

My life as a sports fan, that is.

You don’t know how monumental that statement is. You see, back in June when I was deciding between schools, I made a pros-and-cons list that separated BU from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, my other choice. The only con on BU’s side was its “questionable” sports teams. (No football, no volleyball, just lacrosse and this alien sport called “hockey,” which in California is about as popular as rooting for the Celtics.)

A pro on UNC’s list? Their amazing, passionate, downright insane love for their sports teams. (Don’t believe me? YouTube “UNC fans.” There goes the next hour of your life.)

I eventually came to my senses and picked BU, because let’s face it, who wants to root for the Tyler Hansbroughs of the world? Certainly not me.

I know you’re probably wondering if I was dropped on my head too many times as a child to allow something as trivial as a school’s athletic program to potentially influence my entire future, but that’s just it. It’s not trivial. Whether you like it or not, sports are inextricably linked to the college experience, and that’s the way it should be.

My best friend goes to University of Oregon, whose football team is No. 1 in the nation in the BCS rankings, and if it doesn’t completely choke, a la the last five years of USC’s Pete Carroll Era, it should be competing for the national championship come January. Oregon has competed in numerous other bowls over the last few years, and the place they call home, Autzen Stadium, is nationally known for its crowd’s record-breaking decibel levels.

Let’s just say that my friend’s experience made me absolutely green with envy. While I was attending a community college whose sports teams are practically nonexistent, he was screaming his lungs out during nationally televised games. I didn’t think that BU could ever give me that, but I couldn’t be happier to admit how wrong I was.

I’ve quickly come to realize just how much the school has to offer all of its crazy sports addicts like me. I thought that coming to Boston only meant fulfilling my decade-long dream of being in the same city as the Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics, but I had no idea how much fun I’d have actually rooting for my school’s teams.

If you’re having any doubts about the merit of our school’s athletic programs like I was, pick up a copy of this newspaper on any given day, flip to the sports section and take a look around. Call me crazy, but whenever I read stories about all of our teams, I feel like a nine-year-old in a candy shop, like I’ve suddenly hit the jackpot and can spend hours reading about all of BU’s varieties of sports successes.

Just this weekend, the women’s soccer team advanced to the American East championship, where it will play University of Maine. The team also boasts taking seven of 11 spots on the AE First-Team, and Jessica Luscinski, the hero from Sunday’s victory over University at Albany, earned the honor of Striker of the Year.

Men’s hockey is ranked No. 3 in the country and also beat University of Massachusetts-Lowell in a come-from-behind victory at home Saturday night, and men’s cross country won the AE title, their first since 2000. If that’s not enough, we also have the female Sidney Crosby playing for the women’s hockey team and men’s soccer will be entering the AE tournament as regular-season champions.

And winter hasn’t even started yet.

If I hear one person complain about being bored or unsatisfied with what our sports teams have to offer, I might have to inflict serious bodily harm. Sure, other schools have those flashy Division-I football teams that are successful every once in a while (I’m looking at your Doug Flutie statue, Boston College), but I like BU for the sports teams it has. I like that they snuck up on me, that I gained an unexpected surprise when I heard that our hockey team is perennially ranked in the top-20 or that our men’s cross country team just won a title.

I’m sure North Carolina could have given me a similar experience, maybe even a better one. After all, if Michael Jordan sported those wimpy baby blue colors, I’m sure I could have as well. But honestly, would you root for a mascot named a Tar Heel? Neither would I.

So the next time you’re whining about our lackluster sports teams, think long and hard about what it would be like at another school. Not everyone is lucky enough to call themselves a Terrier.