The Show is the name of the San Diego State Aztecs student section. They are most prominently known for their vocal and creative support of Aztec athletics, especially the men's basketball team. The Show's uniqueness and creativity set them apart from other student sections. They came up with the idea to wave giant cut-out faces during free throws. They have come up with numerous chants and traditions. The Show has three designated sections in Viejas Arena, sections M, L, and K, which are located behind the basket near the visiting team's bench. Their website has sections for their history, media, gameday, blog and message boards.
Name
During the early days of The Show, a fan posted on an SDSU sports message board, "You guys think you're the whole show." It was this statement that led to the raucous student section taking the name "The Show."
Early history
The history of The Show can be traced back to the 2001–2002 men's basketball season. With 1997 opening of Cox Arena, now called Viejas Arena, the men's and women's basketball teams moved across the street from Peterson Gym. Two years later, SDSU moved to the Mountain West Conference. Also occurring that year was the hiring of former University of Michigan head men's basketball coach, Steve Fisher. The teams struggled during Fisher's first two years at SDSU, winning 5 and 14 games respectively. It was during the 2001–02 season that the program turned around. Led by Al Faux, Tony Bland, and Randy Holcomb, the team finished with a 10–4 conference record, and going 21–12 overall. This was the best record for the school in nearly 20 years. It was during that season that The Show was formed by a small group of 6–8 fans came together to support the team. Some were SDSU students, while some were still in high school.
During the 2002 Mountain West Conference men's basketball tournament, SDSU pulled off a major upset as the number five seed. In three straight days, SDSU beat four seed BYU, one seed Wyoming, and were set to face hometown favorite UNLV in the finals. With the Aztecs holding onto a slim lead as the clock counted down, SDSU fans began to line up on the baseline to rush the court. Right as the final buzzer was about to sound, football player Akbar Gbaja-Biamila looked over to a Rebel fan and stated, "Remember this day, when the Aztecs came into your arena and rushed onto your court!" The buzzer sounded and SDSU had just won their first Mountain West Conference tournament title and were set to go to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. It was on this trip to Chicago that the casual group of friends formed the foundation of what would become The Show.
Big heads
Before the 2002-2003 basketball season, Conor Mongan, a member of The Show was watching the movie BASEketball, in which opposing players do whatever it takes to distract each other while they shoot. He took this strategy and combined it with the use of athletes' and celebrities' cardboard heads on Pardon the Interruption. It was during a road game at Long Beach State that the first Big Head in college basketball history was used. As a Long Beach player stepped to the free throw line, Conor revealed a large cutout of an unflattering version of Michael Jackson from a court appearance at the time. The Long Beach player took a double take, bent over laughing, and missed the free throw. Since then The Show has added more and more heads every year. As of the 2011-12 San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball season, The Show has an estimated 125 big heads used during games. The heads are distributed throughout the lower part of the section at halftime, and are used during the second half of home games when the opponent is at the free throw line. Since appearing in ESPN The Magazine'''s December 19, 2005 issue, which documented the origins of the heads, student sections all over the country have joined the trend including Kansas and Marquette.