As winter sports season begins and games start, student-athletes get excited to join their teams and showcase the skills they have worked so hard to master in front of a crowd. But when reality hits, they are often faced with disappointment at the sight of poor attendance in the student section. Unfortunately, many sports that aren’t considered as “big” and “important” as football or basketball have few people show up to support them.
At practice, players give it their all and work hard so that when game time comes, they can play their best while maintaining a positive attitude, no matter what sport they play. The main difference between all of the sports on game day is the crowd.
Many athletes playing these underrepresented sports look up towards the stadium and are often disappointed by the lack of student attendance at their games. The crowd is often limited to parents and relatives of players.
Compared to football games, where students are dressed in theme and fill up the student section, the crowd appears empty and unenergetic. When student athletes of less popular sports attend these football games, they are sure to notice the difference in turnout. The inclusion of themes in sports other than football might create the same “hype” and enthusiastic vibe that students claim football games have.
Frequently, many people are not aware of games happening as main sports like football, basketball, and hockey are the only sports being advertised. This additionally contributes to the small crowds. Countless WJ students have friends in a school sports team, yet rarely go and support them. This might be a result of the lack of publicity and spirit for those smaller sports..
When considering how to increase turnout in the student section of games, friends are the number one place to start. The main game that friends of players might attend is the senior night game. Senior athletes look forward to their senior night games and are excited to see all of their loved ones in the crowd supporting them. While their student section is usually more filled on those special nights, they still don’t measure up to those of hockey or football.
Many of our school’s athletes acknowledge the fact that their games will be undervalued and that their crowds will most likely continue to be sparse. Continuing the comparison of student attendance from bigger to smaller sports will hopefully allow people to realize that more support should be allocated to those smaller sports. If we as a school make it a goal to increase themes and spirit, enthusiasm for all WJ sports will someday be equal.
