Jack Hoover
SPORTS EDITOR
Many college athletes across the country are unable to play the sports they love this year due to the COVID-19 virus.
For some, practices have been cancelled, quarantines have been instituted and seasons have been postponed.
This means that many college fans have to wait to see the sports they love too.
UNO has a passionate and loyal fan base made up of students, alumni and other members of the Omaha community. Of all UNO sports fans though, few are as loud and as passionate as the Maverick Maniacs.
The Mav Maniacs can be found at just about every UNO athletic home game, many road games and even some non-athletic related events such as UNO Convocation and Durango Days. Often, they are easy to spot at these events. If you see someone wearing black and red overall or a black and red jumpsuit, it’s a safe bet that you’ve found a Mav Maniac.
Now though, in this unusual year, fans, such as those in the Mav Maniacs, are finding it hard to adapt to a life without UNO sports.
Longtime member of the Maverick Maniacs Seamus Monaghan says that in absence of sports, the group is just trying to find a sense of community.
“We have had a couple of formal meetings on Zoom to make sure that we can keep everyone engaged and make sure that they still feel a part of the group,” Monaghan said.
Despite losing sports for the season, the Mav Maniacs have not lost their school spirit nor their ability to rally around a single cause. The group has started also taking an active participation in other events around campus this year, such as Dance Marathon. The group is also looking to help the community more and has considered the idea of sponsoring a “miracle kid” as part of Children’s Hospital and Medical Center’s Miracle Network.
Despite the lack of sports right now, the Mav Maniacs are still planning on a return whenever that becomes possible. What that will look like and when that will be remains uncertain.
“[For us] it depends on if fans are allowed and then we have to figure out the restrictions that they have put in place,” said Monaghan.
Questions remain on if they will be socially distant in the stands, whether they will be wearing masks or whether they’ll even be allowed inside the stadiums or not. Regardless of what that will look like, the Mav Maniacs will be ready to cheer on their school again when the time comes.
