Ok, so let me say first we in the Zoo are not exclusively basketball fans. This saturday Coach Wannstedt has invited us to meet him and watch practice at the Southside Facility. Last year the turn out was not great. People who did not go missed a great experience. You get a tour of the new facilities which are amazing. They have a ton of Pitt sports history stuff and a great exhibit featuring all the former Pitt players who won awards and are currently in the NFL.
To further tempt you to come there will be free lunch for everyone that comes and there will be a raffle for season tickets.
I’m gonna put this out there for you folks, the last two seasons of Pitt football were not what we wanted them to be. This year’s team has a ton of talent coming in but some question marks since we’re losing 3 great players in Palko, Blades, and Revis. It is imperative that we show our support for our football team and make sure that the 2007 season is a success.
Below is the email that was sent out by the athletics dept. with all of the details. If you have any questions feel free to email us or check out our facebook page.
~ The Oakland Zoo ~
Hey Panther Fans,
You are all invited by Coach Wannstedt to attend a DAY AT SPRING PRACTICE!!! On March 31st, Coach Wannstedt has invited everyone to come to the south side complex and watch a spring practice. Buses will start leaving the Union at 10am and will be returning around 12:45pm. At the event, we will be touring the practice facility, having lunch, and watching the team prepare for the upcoming football season. Also, at the conclusion of the event we will be having a raffle and giving away some great prizes including SEASON TICKETS!!! Buses will begin leaving the Union at 10am, so get there early!
Also, while not required, we request that you please respond to this email or RSVP on the facebook group so we can have an good approximation of the number of students to expect.
We can’t wait to see you there for a very exciting day!
[EDIT: please RSVP to thepantherpitt@gmail.com and stop arguing in the comments section ]
Oakland Zoo Fans 
March 28, 2007 at 1:36 am
what kind of food?
March 28, 2007 at 2:16 am
While I appreciate your posting this on your blog and getting the word out, I couldn’t help but notice that which email to respond to was specifically left out.The actual email that athletics and The Panther Pitt sent out said to reply to thepantherpitt@gmail.com The reason that we asked that people respond either to The Panther Pitt or to our facebook group is so that we can have an accurate number of attendees so we can order the proper amount of food and adequately prepare for the actual number of people.The Panther Pitt has worked very hard and put alot of time and effort into making this event a success and I feel that credit should be given where credit is due. It would be greatly appreciated if the blog would be edited with the proper reply email so people know exactly who to send the email to. Thanks.Lindsey SorberPresident- Panther Pitt
March 28, 2007 at 2:49 am
I didn’t realize that the Panther Pitt actually planned anything. I’m sure the Panther Pitt and the Zoo are both in touch with the same people, I’m sure they’d pass along any responses from people asking about it to the right people. It just sounds like you’re whining and searching for credit.
March 28, 2007 at 2:49 am
Lindsey, I do not think anyone meant to disrespect the Panther Pitt, I honestly dont even think people know what it is for the most part. Here is a cyber tissue for you to cry into. Go whine someplace where people actually care!!!!
March 28, 2007 at 3:05 am
Sorry Lindsey, we need one of our website admins to update our post. We are only given the ability to post things, not edit anything on the page. To be honest there’s probably about 20 people total that really read our site anyways, and on our Facebook group we linked the event page, so hopefully people go there. In the future though, to avoid scrutiny, if there’s actually an issue, either email one of us personally or our theoaklandzoo@gmail.com email address. Thanks.
March 28, 2007 at 4:21 am
fixed
March 28, 2007 at 4:34 am
Thanks Keith
March 28, 2007 at 4:34 am
They’re promoting your event and showing the email you sent out. Shut the fuck up and stop bitching.
March 28, 2007 at 4:44 am
give Lindsey a break guys.we’re all on the same side
March 28, 2007 at 5:33 am
Fuck that, she shouldn’t be giving you guys shit. You do alot of work and you were nice enough to post their event on your page which is for BASKETBALL and she has the brass to go and bitch at you guys. Fuck that. Panther Pitt sucks. They are a wannabe Zoo. They will never be anything. Pitt should just get rid of it and find something else to catch on at football games because the Panther Pitt adds nothing. How many people do you know that walk around all year with panther pitt shirts??? How many students are asked if they are part of the panther pitt when people find out they go to Pitt?When you’re talking about student involvement with Pitt athletics, there is only one organization and that is the Zoo. Sure the panther pitt hands out those shitty towels that gets lint every where in the stadium for games when we get shit housed by notre dame but what do you do with that towel after the game is over? Mine has served as a great dishrag for the last year. The Zoo idea was originalThe Terrible Towel idea was originial.Now we have the panther pitt (all 7 of them) taking two Pittsburgh ideas and copying them poorly.If you’re pissed because they didn’t put your email up there thats fine, tell them to put it up. But don’t go looking for justification about your shitty organization over the internet because you definately won’t find it.
March 28, 2007 at 2:49 pm
I love how all the critics are posting anonymously, but what I take from the current discussion is this: on more than one past occasion, other individuals or groups (no, not the Zoo) have taken credit for an event that the Panther Pitt planned and did all the work for, which only further contributes to the perception that the Panther Pitt “never plans anything”. I’m sure that Lindsey didn’t mean the comment in the way people are reading it, and she did say she appreciated the post; she was only noting that the email the Panther Pitt “originally sent out” was not actually posted but was instead altered to exclude the proper email address for whatever reason. She explained why that was an issue and now it’s been edited back so she can keep track of RSVPs like the administration asked her to do – problem solved. As one of you said, both groups are in touch with the same people and both work to promote the same thing, i.e., a love of Pitt sports and the best student sections possible. There is no competition because as Keith pointed out, everyone is on the same side (as it should be). The Panther Pitt is not trying to be the Zoo or any other group because the Zoo logistics don’t work for an off-campus, outdoor, 65,000 seat football stadium (but clearly the Zoo sets a great example as to how a student section should be). Both groups often work together to improve the campus and the community, as evidenced by the success of our recent blood drive. The Panther Pitt is happy to promote any of the Zoo’s events and obviously the Zoo does the same for them. Lindsey was only trying to do her job and make sure that she has an accurate count of students that plan on attending to ensure that the event runs smoothly. In response to the comment that the Panther Pitt “adds nothing,” in the past, football recruits have specifically mentioned the Panther Pitt as part of their reason for choosing Pitt. The Panther Pitt’s “Meet Coach Wannstedt” was one of the best attended events in recent campus history. The Panther Pitt raised $5000 with student-athletes for Hurricane Katrina victims and has sent dancers (and funding) to PDM both years, along with helping to organize it. The Panther Pitt also worked with the Athletics Dept. to develop and implement the new student basketball ticket plan, and to create the “Inspiring Pitt Pride” campaign which led to a diverse group of campus leaders working together to form the Panther Zone among other activities. This is not seeking credit because it really shouldn’t matter who is responsible, but rather it is intended to be a counterpoint to the aforementioned claim. Even with all that, the Panther Pitt leaders realize that many more improvements still need to be made. The problem arises because it is difficult to do anything about students that get drunk and pass out, come to games late, leave early or don’t show up at all (even moreso when your football team’s record has been less than stellar lately). They’re trying to create a good atmosphere, but if you have some suggestions for improvement, why don’t you try working with Lindsey and the other officers to implement them instead of trashing people that are working to change the situation? In response to the lack of shirts -the football student section has 10,000 seats and in the past, the Athletics Dept. wouldn’t pay for Panther Pitt shirts because it requires over five times more than what the Zoo requires. They agreed to a compromise and bought towels instead. SGB won’t pay for shirts because they don’t generally fund things like that, and local businesses in Oakland wouldn’t give money for shirts because of “previous bad experiences with the Zoo” (which have absolutely nothing to do with the people in charge of the Zoo currently). Because of this limited funding, the Panther Pitt used their own fundraising to get about 100 shirts produced per year, with the exception of 1000 Code Blue shirts for the WVU game. I’ve seen a lot of people wearing those and the AD noticed as well – next season the AD will be producing them like they do with the Zoo shirts now. In terms of registered members, the Panther Pitt is actually the second-largest student organization on campus after SGB, but obviously more students need to get involved with the leadership and the current leaders are very open to that sort of thing. The Panther Pitt leaders hold weekly meetings that are open to everyone, so instead of addressing these issues on the internet, please just email Lindsey or the other officers personally, or show up at a meeting. The best way to get your concerns addressed is to make sure people know about them in the first place.
March 28, 2007 at 3:27 pm
I agree Robin, people need to chill out. I copied an email that I received and never intentionally meant to leave the email address off. Obviously it looks very stupid when it says you should RSVP but there isn’t anywhere to RSVP too. So everyone, chill out and just come to the event.
March 28, 2007 at 6:37 pm
exactly – like Dave posted on the facebook event wall, “Saturday will also be blue chip junior day.” Coach Wannstedt and the rest of the team and coaching staff are excited to have us there not only because they enjoy working with students, but also because we have the opportunity to make a great showing for some (hopefully) future Pitt stars as well. Anyone that went to the ESPN Gameday taping should know what kind of effects the student section can have on recruiting. We already have a great class coming in next season and we need to keep up the trend to get Pitt football back on the map as the powerhouse it once was. We can start by going to the event this weekend, and FYI there is supposed to be some gatorade available too (so even if you stay out too late on Friday, don’t let that stop you from getting to the Union at 10 AM!) As for the food question, I heard it’s going to be subs and chips but if a deal couldn’t be worked out, the backups were something like Five Guys burgers or pizza (last year it changed at the very last minute so it might not be possible to say yet). Thanks again and we’ll see you Saturday!
March 29, 2007 at 12:34 am
Dont forget to get your friends to RSVP on the facebook group.
March 29, 2007 at 8:59 am
So if you were to meet the most awesome person ever, would you take a picture with them after you were done hooking up?
March 29, 2007 at 3:25 pm
I know I would but I think the most awesome person in the world is Jessi Summers and she does or used to do porn. So I guess I would have to have my picture taken.Oh everybody needs to calm down on the Panther Pitt stuff. We are all in this together its not like you have to pick just one sport. You can like football and basketball.
March 29, 2007 at 6:17 pm
This is pittsburgh buddy. You can only like one of the followingSteelersPiratesSteelersPenguinsSteelersPitt BasketballSteelersPitt FootballorSteelers
March 29, 2007 at 7:22 pm
Sorry I forgot who are the Steelers going to draft in the first round? Thats all I’m supposed to care about.
March 29, 2007 at 8:22 pm
this is funnny. i mean who really cares. whats all the fighting for. chill out boys and girls maybe some of you need to listen to the grateful dead and relax a little…
March 31, 2007 at 2:49 am
apple bottom girls.Whats that shit on your chest?Barbasol, Crisco, Vagisil.And if the ump is watching me real close i put a little jalepeno in my nose get it running then rub it and wipe it on the ball.You put snot on the ball?Adds an extra 3-4 inches break on my curve ball, i dont got the arm you do kid.
March 31, 2007 at 11:24 pm
Way for only 30 people to show up. That is embarrassing. No wonder Pitt football isn’t that good. If the students don’t care why should the team??
April 1, 2007 at 3:35 am
I agree that attendance was terrible. But at the same time the argument you use just makes absolutely no sense. To say that if students don’t care, why should the athletes makes no sense. They have a lot to play for other then fans. They play for themselves, pride, and a select few play to showcase their talents for the next level.
April 1, 2007 at 3:24 pm
i’m a subscriber to the scout.com network and sorry robin but i never have seen a recruit in any article mention the student section and atmosphere at football games. the ones who come to the bball games always say something bout the atmosphere but i honestly cant remember reading anything bout the football atmospher. i know you guys try your best but the problem isnt the pantherpitt its the students. its safe to say that most students come to pitt for academics and alot of them could care less about sports. theres a core of students who are here for academics and athletics. most students are fairweather. theres a reason why with a top 10 bball team this year, the upper section of the zoo was never filled and we had a lot of problems with energy. theres only so much the leaders can do but its the student body that determines if they want to be a part or not
April 1, 2007 at 8:40 pm
The student atmosphere at football games sucks. It doesn’t matter if the zoo took over it or not, nothing would help. I take that back, 7 p.m. espn games would get the fairweather fans out there but thats it. Our fans are so bad. No one wants to wake up early on a saturday morning to a game if they were out drinking the night before. Even if they do make it down to Heinz Field they end up getting drunk in the parking lot and then going home. Boy those are some great fans there. Back to the poster above me. I am a member of both the rivals and scout services. In the 3 years I’ve been a member on both, not one site has reported that the student atmosphere (panther pitt) was a driving force behind getting a committment from a player.On the other hand, the Oakland Zoo has been very crucial in helping land football prospects. Shady McCoy anyone?Shady was a PSU lock until he walked in front of the gameday crowd and a few Shady chants broke out.Then before the Pitt/Georgetown game when Shady walked infront of the Zoo and the entire student section erupted with “We Want Shady” chants that swayed him. Students had homemade Shady signs, people got his autograph and a picture with him. Then when he left the student section went crazy again. If you don’t believe this you can go on the trib’s webpage and read Kevin Gorman’s article about how the Zoo had a huge impact on him.Let me just say if it wasn’t for the Zoo, Shady would be in crappy valley. Kudos to the Zoo.
April 5, 2007 at 3:15 pm
Sorry about the deleted comment, I’m an idiot…A couple people in the athletic department are doing a project on ticketing prices and motivations behind buying tickets, so I’d appreciate it if anybody that saw this would take this short little 5 minute survey. Thanks.http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=147743624111
April 5, 2007 at 7:09 pm
Here is an obvious question.Why didn’t you ask if people know about the panther pitt on that survey?Because everyone knows the answer is that no one knows or gives a shit about the panther pitt
April 6, 2007 at 12:26 am
What does the panther pitt have planned for this upcoming season??Nothing?? Oh yeah, thats a big shocker there.