Just how far will Wabash alumni go to avoid stepping foot in Greencastle?
As it turns out, as far as Half Liter BBQ in Indianapolis, where the Wabash Club of Indianapolis hosted a watch party on January 24 for the away game against DePauw.
Alumni around the country often meet up to watch the Little Giants play, but last week’s event was a bit different — they brought their own commentators: Sean Bledsoe ’26 and Noah McRoberts ’25.
The idea started brewing two years ago, when — due to COVID restrictions — DePauw limited the number of Wabash fans allowed to attend the game.
“While a lot of Wabash people were watching that game [online], the announcers commented, ‘Dang, you would think for how close they are, they would bring a bigger student section,’” said Bledsoe. “That kind of left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth. Yes, it’s a rivalry, but you still want both fan bases to show out, right?”
As a result, members of the WCI decided to host their own event featuring student commentators.
“Immediately once I saw the email, I texted Noah, and I’m like, ‘Dude, that’s sick. We should do it,’” said Bledsoe.
The move, McRoberts explained, gave remote Little Giants fans a more well-rounded listening experience of the basketball game.
“If you host your own event, you generally have to listen to their broadcast, which is rather poor,” he said, “and usually the DePauw broadcasts are pretty one-sided.”
Under the leadership of Brent Harris H’03, Wabash’s athletics communications director and the former statistician for the Indianapolis Colts, the broadcast team has taken Wabash Athletics to a whole new level. Even more impressively, the broadcast team relies on a squad of student-announcers who deliver first-rate commentary each and every game.
“What I love about these guys is how professional they are, especially for us not having a communications or journalism department,” said Associate Director of Annual Giving Hugh Vandivier ’91, who came up with the idea to bring Bledsoe and McRoberts to Indianapolis. “Alumni and friends and fans of Wabash absolutely notice a difference.”
“If you have not watched a live-stream event from an opponent’s site, you will not appreciate how well Wabash executes their broadcasts – both audio and video,” added Jim Dyer ’83, a WCI board member.
As alumni and spouses — about 35 in all — started rolling in Wednesday night, the broadcast team began their set-up, complete with smart-TV hook-up and a two-foot-tall speaker.
“Brent Harris gave us equipment — actual sound equipment and headsets — but the input did not plug into the speaker,” said McRoberts.
“So we used a karaoke mic,” added Bledsoe. “Noah would be holding the mic, then I would lean over and literally put my head in his arm to talk into the microphone. You know, if we can operate on one microphone, that means we can operate on anything.”
This might have been a problem for many announcers, but not for Bledsoe and McRoberts, who have been working as a pair for two years.
“I knew right from that first broadcast I’d be working well with Noah,” said Bledsoe. “We just had a great dynamic together.”
“It’s overall very smooth, and we flow well,” McRoberts said. “Part of that is that we’re friends outside of the press box as well.”
After overcoming a few technical glitches, they piped in DePauw’s broadcast, muted the audio and the duo got to work.
“[They] provided an excellent broadcast complete with player introductions, live stats, and, of course, plenty of color (and off-color) commentary on the game,” Dyer said.
Bledsoe and McRoberts pride themselves on staying unbiased while they call games, and giving due credit to both sides: “It’s just the rules of being a commentator,” said Bledsoe.
However, this was no ordinary game.
“Noah and I knew going into it that this isn’t an official broadcast. So we can probably throw a little more shade and talk a little more crap than what we’re used to,” said Bledsoe. “It’s against DePauw. It’s all Wabash fans. All bets are off.”
In the upstairs loft packed with Wabash fans, a buffet full of barbecue, and of course, a loaded bar, the scene quickly became filled with typical raucous game-day energy, aided by the presence of the Wabash duo.
“Usually when you’re hearing play-by-play, it’s passive,” said Vandivier. “But there was an interactive quality. Some mischievous soul (like myself) was slipping them notes and stuff.”
“It was like having our own private skybox at the game, with food, beer and a great view of the game without having to deal with the Dannies,” said Dyer.
What started as a subtle jab at the Dannies’ broadcasting system now has the potential to launch a new Wabash tradition. Dyer and Vandivier both said the WCI hopes to do it again next year.
While Wabash graduates have entered the wider world, opportunities like these offer reconnection with fellow brothers and the timeless feeling of cheering on the Little Giants.