The news that Hoops Mania will not feature a performer this year drew passionate responses from members of the University community after The Villanovan confirmed the Athletic Office’s decision in an article first posted online on Monday Sept. 18 [editor’s note: see article on pg. 1].

Many students expressed disappointment at the news. In a poll on The Villanovan’s official Instagram account, 76% of the 394 respondents said they are upset that there will be no performer this year.

“I’m extremely disappointed as it was an event many people looked forward to,” junior Sarahann Rozsa said. “We were always excited about the team being there, but a performer was always a special treat that we all enjoyed, and it made [the event] feel like an even bigger deal.”

“If all they’re going to do is hang the banner and give the rings, they could do that [during] the first game,” senior Peter Crossan said. “It feels kind of like the school is being cheap. They know kids will show up regardless, so why would they put the effort or funds into booking a performer.”

“As a freshman, I feel not as welcomed to the school because all of the other classes had a performer at their Hoops Manias,” Neil Martin ’22 said.

In another Instagram poll by The Villanovan, students had mixed views on whether they still planned to attend this year’s Hoops Mania. 50% of the 333 respondents said they still planned to attend the event while the other half indicated that they do not.

Online, a number of alumni expressed shock and outrage that students would consider boycotting the event.

“If the only thing that gets [students] excited is a musician, then they don’t have [a] real love of Villanova basketball and shouldn’t attend anyway,” Sandra Walczak Chance ’02 wrote on Facebook.

“Imagine boycotting an event where your school raises a National Championship banner over the lack of a rapper,” wrote alum Mike Anderson __. “What a hill to die on.”

“I understand students’ disappointment that the tradition of having a performance artist at Hoops Mania will not continue this year,” Nick Carosella ’07 wrote in an email. “That being said, I think we all need to remember that Hoops Mania was created as a celebration of the new season and, in this case, a celebration of our third championship.”

Others in the community said they support the idea of the University repurposing the funds that would be spent on a performer for other efforts.

“If I’m being completely honest, I’d rather them give the money to our service groups then pay for Hoops Mania,” senior Gabriel Cusumano said.

One alumni said in his view, the best part of Hoops Mania was never the performer anyway. 

“The concerts were fun, but I always looked forward to the team dancing more than anything,” Ben Megan ‘17 said in a reply to The Villanovan on Twitter.