21 September 2005

'Til Fandom Come


Fans. Without them, athletes are just playing in front of empty seats. And unless you play for one of “The Big Two” here at Fisher (basketball and football), you may have noticed that there aren’t many fans at your games. Or any fans at all.

If you play football or basketball, consider yourself lucky that you have huge crowds and “Cardinal Crazies.” If you play for any other sport, well, it appears that your fan base may be made up of the “Cardinal Cadavers” – explaining why none of them showed up to watch you play.

Why don’t we support all of our Fisher sports? Where’s the TLC for baseball, golf, men’s basketball, men’s lacrosse, men’s soccer, men’s tennis, softball, volleyball, women’s basketball, women’s lacrosse, and women’s tennis. Don’t forget that there are numerous club sports that weren’t even mentioned. These teams work just as hard as “The Big Two” but just aren’t getting the same results fan-wise. Don’t the other teams deserve the same love that we bask “The Big Two” in?

In the case of groups like the men’s soccer team, it seems like they’re doing everything they should be. They play at Growney Stadium, home of the football team, so everyone should know where to find them – we did pack a record 5,983 fans into the stadium for the homecoming game last weekend. This is the team that went to the Empire 8’s last season. The blame for the lackluster attendance is on the shoulders of the student body for this one. Teams like the soccer team deserve our support.

Why aren’t we flocking to soccer games? Or baseball games? Ask yourself these questions. I’m pretty sure that MTV’s going to repeat that episode of Laguna Beach so you really don’t have an excuse. You may not be a big sports fan. Odds are though, you have a friend on at least one of these teams. Go to the game just to support that friend. And once you’re there, maybe the sport will grow on you.

It would be nice if every sport enjoyed the crowds that The Big Two receive. Teams that are doing everything they can like the soccer team are getting cheated. We should all be at their games. They’ve earned it.

Like most of you, I’ll be at the next football game. I’ll be at the basketball games once they start up. But, unlike a lot of you, I’ll be at the next soccer game.

- Originally published in the Cardinal Courier (Volume 5-Issue 1; September 21, 2005)