On Nov. 1, the Campus Activities & Programs (CAP) Center, Activities and Campus Events (ACE) and the Department of Athletics and Recreation hosted Center Stage at Bison Madness at Sojka Pavilion. The event began with a pep rally to excite students for the upcoming basketball season. Afterward, comedian Eric Andre took the stage and performed a stand-up comedy routine.

Each player on the men’s and women’s basketball teams was introduced to the crowd with a song of their choice. Then players from both teams were paired up with students for a shoot-out competition. Next, the men’s players showcased their skills with a dunk contest, coming up with creative dunks to win the best score. There were also performances from the cheerleaders as well as the Bisonettes.

“Bison Madness was a great start to the basketball season. It seemed like it really hyped up the players and the students, and I think everyone is really excited to see what the winter season holds,” cheerleader Drew Filchner ’22 said.

Students who attended the event also participated in Bison HQ Trivia for a chance to win $1,000. The HQ Trivia included questions about the University’s sports players as well as trivia about both college basketball and the professional basketball career’s of former Bison men’s and women’s players.

“It is fun to see so many students supporting our sports teams. It really reinforces school unity and school spirit. At a smaller school like Bucknell, it is great to have these kinds of events,” Ryan Bremer ’22 said.

Andre’s performance followed the pep rally. Hundreds of students came to see Andre perform his signature raunchy stand-up routine. Andre is the host and creator of “The Eric Andre Show” on Cartoon Network, which parodies talk shows. His performance featured satire about the University, shock humor and vulgar jokes. Andre also interacted with the audience and got students involved in his stand-up.

Part of the performance included Andre having a student volunteer their cell phone. Andre sent embarrassing texts to the phone’s owner’s mother until she unknowingly FaceTimed the crowd. The phone was connected to a screen in the stadium so the crowd could see the texts and FaceTime call. Students also got on stage and raced to chug the most ranch dressing, a staple of Andre’s routine.

“I really liked Eric Andre. I thought it was interesting how he made satirical jokes about our campus and he was not afraid to offend anybody,” Abby Strayer ’22 said.

Free food and drinks were available at the event, serving student favorites like nacho tots and macaroni and cheese. There were also vendors such as Dunkin’ Donuts and Jersey Mike’s, who were giving out free food, drinks, and vouchers.