Miami – a city brimming with activity, where sports often take a back seat to the vibrant culture and nonstop action. For many of the city’s professional and collegiate teams, the fan bases tend to follow a bandwagon mentality, showing up only when the team is winning. But in the heart of one of the most volatile sports cities in the US, where fans are quick to turn their attention elsewhere, Category 5 — Cat 5 — stands strong, unwavering in its commitment to keeping the University of Miami’s sports spirit alive and well, no matter the score.
Cat 5 is known as “the Spirit Programming Board focused on preserving and implementing traditions related to sports and spirit,” according to their website, but it is so much more than its description.
Part of UM’s Student Government, Cat 5, which was officially founded in 2012, works closely with the Athletic Department to enhance the student experience at home games, aiming to attract greater numbers of fans. Their influence stretches across all sports, but can be heavily felt at the Watsco Center, home of UM Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams.
This year, Cat 5 is bringing a fresh twist to themed sporting events. Every home game is welcomed with a specific decade-themed atmosphere.
“By tapping into pop culture from different eras we’ve seen fans participate in themed activities and get more involved in the overall game-day atmosphere,” Cat 5’s Olympic Sports Chair Myles Kaye said. “While attendance is always influenced by team performance, these themes have helped create a fun and memorable experience regardless of the scoreboard.”
But how does Cat 5 make it all happen?
“It all starts with Athletics selecting the decade theme and managing mass promotion,” Kaye said. “Once the theme is set, Cat 5 steps in to enhance the experience by creating a themed giveaway that ties into the decade. From there, we work with Athletics, Cheer, and the band to bring the theme to life and keep the energy high. We also ensure everything runs smoothly on game day, from in-game engagement to coordinating various game-day activations.”
Kaye isn’t the only one working on organizing the student body. Cat 5 has a crew of participants to help support the ‘Canes athletes in all their endeavors. One member, Freshman Max Butterfass, spoke on behalf of Cat 5 regarding the events he attended this semester.
“I went to the Binghamton, Arkansas and Virginia games,” he said. “At the Virginia game, which was 60s night, you could tell that the crowd’s energy hadn’t diminished much. People still cheer and get excited. The fan energy has remained hopeful and energetic, despite some on court frustration, and Cat 5 does a great job fostering that.”
Cat 5 does more than just sit front row at these games, though. Butterfass shared some insight on how they bring their themed games to life.
“We brainstorm the themes during the meetings. I’m on the basketball committee so we’ll discuss methods for student engagement.”
In creating an atmosphere for students to support the student athletes, Cat 5 plays a huge role in generating momentum for the ‘Canes. Without the swell of the crowd’s voices in support of the orange and green, UM’s sports would falter.
Back in February, as the Hurricanes welcomed big-hitters Notre Dame, Cat 5 brought 80s vibes to the arena. Kaye recalls, “The energy in the arena was unmatched because everyone really embraced the theme — the music was spot-on and the giveaway for the game was a huge hit. It felt like more than just a basketball game; it was an immersive experience that brought students together as we defeated Notre Dame.”
The Hurricanes Men’s Basketball team defeated Notre Dame 63-57, ending a ten-game losing streak and shining a glimmer of hope for the fans. “It’s more challenging to bring in fans during a tough season,” Kaye said. “But the student turnout was high against Notre Dame, the themed contests and music kept the energy levels up throughout the game, and we won. It definitely was the most successful game so far in the season.”
Indeed, despite the team’s recent struggles on the court, off it, Cat 5 is continuing to garner interest in the games. Whether it is by organizing unique giveaways or preparing themes for the students to participate in, the goal is to make every game an event worth attending. This season, Cat 5 also introduced a new feature to the Watsco experience: The Category 5 Hurricane Crank.
“This is one of the new things we tried to help hype up the arena and student section as we come out of the halftime break, and it’s been a hit,” Kaye said. “The feedback has been positive, and I think we’ll continue this new tradition and bring it back in future seasons to keep enhancing the student experience.”
While Hurricane’s Men’s Basketball season didn’t end in an NCAA Tournament, fans can expect to continue seeing Cat 5 at future sporting events wailing their Hurricane Crank. Yet, Cat 5 knows it can go even further with its work.
“While the promotions were strong, one thing I wish had gone differently was expanding our promotions to new channels,” Kaye said. “The earlier and easier we get the information to students, the better. So, despite this season’s success in promotion, there’s always room to improve. We will take what we’ve learned this season to help make next year even better.”
Cat 5 is extremely active in Hurricane Athletics, so always make sure to keep an eye out for their members at Hurricane games, flying the Cat 5 flag and making their Hurricane Crank scream.
words_emil vazquez, brendan cafferty, jayden gonzalez, fred pikul. photo_eva escandon. design_sal puma.
This article was published in Distraction’s Summer 2025 print issue.
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