The players face each other at half court. The ref throws the ball in the air. The players jump, the game begins, and.....
Silence.
The entire gym is filled with students and faculty from Taylor University, yet only the squeak of the players' shoes and their shouts on the court can be heard. Despite this silence, every person in Odle Arena has their eyes riveted on the court, anxiously awaiting the tenth point.
Taylor University is a small, private college in the cornfields of Indiana, yet it is home to one of the strangest and best traditions in college basketball. Every year on the Friday before exams, the Taylor University Trojans Men's Basketball team plays the Silent Night game, with their record being 20-0. This is no ordinary basketball game, however.
The tradition began in 1977 when students would wear their pajamas to the game that immediately preceded a Christmas party - that tradition still continues today. Students filed over to Holidays with the Haines right after the game for a night of cookies, more chaos, and the Christmas story. The Silent Night game, as it is known today, came about to be the crazy outfit, line up for hours in advance, big deal that it is today in 2000. And, as they say, the rest is history.
The students and faculty of Taylor dress up in crazy costumes and outfits, ranging from Christmas pajamas to group costumes such as a fireplace complete with a giant S'more. They stand in line for hours at a time to get the best seats to watch the game. This year, one student waited in line for over 24 hours, bringing a mattress with him to sleep on, all for the sake of being first in line. Once the doors finally open to allow students into the gym, it is utter chaos.
And that chaos continues until the national anthem is sung by the Taylor University Sounds. Once the anthem is over, the students sit down, eyes turn to the court, and silence falls on Odle Arena. If you would happen to talk early you would find yourself hushed by everyone around you - Taylor students take their traditions seriously, especially Silent Night. The silence remains until the Trojans score the tenth point.
Then, chaos once again ensues.
The sound is deafening, the enthusiasm contagious, and the students can't be contained. They storm the court and converge into a giant mosh pit of sorts in the middle of the court. Regardless of whether or not Taylor is winning, the students celebrate.
Evan Crowe, who scored the tenth point the past two years, had this to say about being a player and going from silence to celebration: "[I]t is awesome, it's hard not to react to the crowd going crazy. Just a unique atmosphere that is different from any other sport experience I've had. It is strange when it's quiet, I thought to myself that us, as players, make a lot more noise than I thought... but being out there in the silence you almost want to talk more. Love the tradition and blessed to be apart of it."
It is only in the past few years, however, that it has gained such widespread media attention. Silent Night has been featured on ESPN as well as many newspapers and news stations across the country. 2015 and 2016's games were featured as a Snapchat Live story, giving Taylor students the ability to upload their Snapchats to be seen across the country. People from all over travel to go to Silent Night. A couple from Iowa came to this year's Silent Night, as it was on their bucket list, and they became engaged right after the tenth point was scored.
The chaos of the night continues until the very end of the game when the Taylor community joins together and sings Silent Night as the game is in its final moments. Some have described this part of the night as their favorite, for it reminds them of the true meaning of Christmas and that Jesus' birth is the reason for the season.
Once the game finished the entire student body once again storms the court, celebrating their win and showing unity for a common cause. For that game, we are not different majors, not students fighting for the top of the class, not competing forms or floors. We are Taylor Trojans. Ask any Taylor student and they will most likely list Silent Night as one of their top Taylor traditions. Though it's strange, it brings the campus together to cheer for our Men's Basketball Game and relieves some of the stress that comes with dead week and exams. We may be a tiny college in the middle of the cornfields, but we know how to make quite a commotion.
Watch this year's hype video below.
