Brewers Fever Sweeps Across UW-Waukesha Campus

            With March Madness in the rear view mirror and another six months until the Packers NFL season begins, the UW-Waukesha campus is buzzing with talk about what could be a very successful season for the Milwaukee Brewers.

           The Packers jerseys that were a popular fashion statement just five months ago are set aside, and with the Bucks season coming to an end, that leaves just one team in action. The various forms of Brewers apparel can be seen on students all over the campus as of late and on a typical day, there are numerous conversations through out the hallways about the tumultuous offseason.

            Some of the most popular conversation topics include the departure of Prince Fielder, the positive steroid test that plagued Ryan Braun over the winter, and the teams prospects of getting to the World Series for the first time since 1982 and possibly their first ever World Series championship.

            Steven Hunkel, sophomore, used spring break as an opportunity to travel to Arizona and check out his favorite Wisconsin sports team during spring training. To Hunkel, it was an obvious choice to spend break in warm weather and get a firsthand view of the Brewers without slugger, Prince Fielder, in the lineup. Hunkel was satisfied with his trip to Arizona saying, “it was a good reason to get out of the state for a while. It was cool to be close to the team.”

Hunkel has also been keeping up with the Brewers during the school day. With many people at UW-Waukesha having smart phones, it’s easy to get updates on every game, even if that game is being played in the middle of class. Hunkel also plans on going to a plethora of games this season, including a day game on a Thursday that would require him to miss a class.

            This is most certainly not the first time that classes have taken a back seat to professional sports. Each year many of the students in Waukesha County schools stay home to watch the opening rounds of March Madness as well as the opening day game at Miller Park. One point of view is that schoolwork and grades may suffer because students miss class periods. However, going to Brewer games in the early part of the season has become a part of the culture in both high school and colleges in the Waukesha area.         When asked about The Brewers outlook this year, Hunkel stated, “they have a lot of young talent this year. They made some solid in-field acquisitions and they should have a good year.” Overall he predicted a birth in the World Series this season.

            While some students are already getting excited about the upcoming season and involving themselves early, others are taking a lighter approach to the subject. Brian Lochemes, sophomore, is also a loyal fan. He usually goes to about ten games a year and hopes to go to a similar number of them this season. Lochemes stated that he most likely would not skip classes to go to an ordinary game, but he did miss classes in order to watch the game on opening day.

            The beginning of the baseball season proves to be a handy distraction from other facets of daily life and in certain instances, becomes a tool for procrastinating with school work. Lochemes stated that when games are on, he will often times, “put off doing work, then stress out about getting things done and rush through the work in order to get to bed.”

Like Hunkel, Lochemes believes that the Brewers will have a successful season and will make another playoff appearance this year. He also believes that Prince Fielder will not be missed and would turn into a “financial burden” somewhere down the road if he had stayed in Milwaukee.

            With disappointment surrounding Wisconsin sports this year, the Brewers are serving as a possible success story that the students of UW-Waukesha will keep talking about until the end of the semester.