The Antler Effect**
Grand Poobah Julian Vizitei said The Antlers could affect a basketball game by a minimum of three points. This can be explained with the Antler Effect Theory. The theory states that the presence of The Antlers at Mizzou Arena can affect the Production Efficiency of opposing players that are among the top 10 in scoring in the conference. Production Efficiency is measured by the sum of the opposing player’s points scored and shooting percentage in a game at Mizzou Arena minus the sum of the opposing player’s season points per game and season shooting percentage. The Antler Theory holds Mizzou team and player talent constant, and does the same with opposing team and player talent. Vizitei said Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson had a “terrible game” based on his season averages when he played at Mizzou Arena in 2013. Henderson did have a negative change in Production Efficiency, but there are other players that have been impacted far greater by The Antlers.
The presence of The Antlers is not always a benefit to Mizzou basketball. There are other players that react positively to The Antlers.
The Antler Effect is ultimately a hit-and-miss theory. It cannot be predicted which players will react negatively and which players will react positively to the presence of The Antlers. Alabama guard Trevor Releford had a positive change in Production Efficiency one game and a negative change in Production Efficiency the next. There are also many players that show little change either way in Production Efficiency. The only thing that can be claimed by this theory is that The Antlers can affect a basketball game.
The Antlers group was formed in 1976 when the Basketball Arena decided to make a small section of 11 seats available for students. A lottery was held for the seats and among the winners were the two founders of the antlers, Jeff Gordon and Rob Banning. These two decided that their Mizzou tigers needed an extra special style of student section cheering. One game, Gordon and Banning searched for new ideas they could use during the games, and found a recently aired SNL skit where Lily Tomlin does a ridiculous “Antler Dance.” The boys liked the idea, and at one of their first games as an official group, they did the Antler dance during the Missouri Waltz. A man noticed them doing the dance and called them the Antlers, and since that day, the name stuck.
*Information obtained from wikipedia.com
**Statistics obtained from espn.com and mutigers.com
History of The Antlers*
The group’s crazy antics have got them major media exposure. They have been featured in stories from Sports Illustrated, USA Today and even ESPN. They’ve been named one of the top student sections in the nation, but the taunting nature of the group has also gotten them in trouble from time to time. They’ve been moved to the top of the arena for games so that no one could hear them and even been ejected from games. Many people feel that their crude nature is not necessary, and that’s why the Antlers are getting “back to their roots.” They want to continue the taunting nature, but in a more respectful way.