{"id":98386,"date":"2025-01-09T15:23:30","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T20:23:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=98386"},"modified":"2025-01-10T11:37:27","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T16:37:27","slug":"then-and-now-badgers-fans-bring-the-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2025\/01\/then-and-now-badgers-fans-bring-the-energy\/","title":{"rendered":"THEN AND NOW: Badgers fans fill the stands"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>To mark\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/60\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brock\u2019s 60th anniversary<\/a>, the Brock News is running a <a href=\"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/tag\/then-and-now\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">monthly series<\/a>\u00a0looking back at the University\u2019s history through photos.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Brock University has come a long way since the days of Gym One, now known as Bob Davis Gymnasium. Once home to modest bleachers and intimate gatherings of fans, the University&#8217;s sports culture has flourished, culminating in large-scale events which draw thousands of spectators to downtown St. Catharines.<\/p>\n<p>The evolution of the Brock Badgers\u2019 crowds reflects the growth of the University and its connection to the Niagara community. Events like the Steel Blade Classic and Paint the Meridian Red have become community celebrations, uniting students, faculty, alumni and local residents in a shared passion for athletic excellence.<\/p>\n<p>Held annually at the Meridian Centre, the Steel Blade Classic has become a must-attend event. This high-energy hockey game pits the Brock Badgers men\u2019s hockey team against fierce competitors, igniting school spirit and showcasing the talent of Brock\u2019s student-athletes.<\/p>\n<p>Equally electric is <a href=\"https:\/\/experiencebu.brocku.ca\/event\/280277\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Paint the Meridian Red<\/a>, an annual basketball doubleheader featuring the Brock men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s teams. The Badgers played the first-ever basketball game at the Meridian Centre on Nov. 28, 2015, against the Lakehead Thunderwolves. Since then, the games have become a staple of the University\u2019s athletic calendar.<\/p>\n<p>This year, the Badgers face off against the McMaster Marauders on Friday, Jan. 17, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ticketmaster.ca\/brock-badgers-v-mcmaster-marauders-basketball-st-catharines-ontario-01-17-2025\/event\/10006141A5561853\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tickets available for purchase online<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_98388\" style=\"width: 1060px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-98388\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-98388 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/PainttheMeridian-1050x660.jpg\" alt=\"A packed basketball arena shows fans in red cheering as two teams compete on the court. Players are in motion, and spectators fill the stands, creating an electric atmosphere. Coaches, team staff, and officials are visible on the sidelines, with banners and signage supporting the home team displayed prominently.\" width=\"1050\" height=\"660\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-98388\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A crowd of more than 2,500 fans fill the Meridian Centre to watch the Brock men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball teams in downtown St. Catharines on an annual basis.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brock University has come a long way since the days of Gym One, now known as Bob Davis Gymnasium.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":98387,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3319,1],"tags":[13423,5682,112,256,2701,75,582,7584,13818,4620],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98386"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98386"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98424,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98386\/revisions\/98424"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}