I envy the students that go to a big sports school. I’m referring to Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, the Power-5 universities that sell out sporting events in stadiums and the buzz around the big game electrifies the campus. Gameday is like a holiday, students get up early, dress up and prepare for the game. Throughout the United States, football is the biggest college sport, but the top athletic schools will gather a crowd for anything, especially if their school is successful. Being a part of an environment like that is something I never got to experience in college. It is frustrating to be a member of one of the best athletic departments in the country at Stevens and garner little attention from the student body.
I do acknowledge all the factors that make this far-fetched: Stevens is a Division III school, we don’t have a football team, and we have a smaller size of enrollment, which is typical of a Division III school. I understand the challenge, but it doesn’t mean we should be content with this obstacle. Every year the football game between Ithaca and Cortland gets 40,000 fans in attendance. There are a lot of Division III schools out there that make a big deal about their athletics.
Not having a football team hurts. It is just such an easy sport for students to get behind. Look at all the high schools around the country, even schools that don’t draw a crowd for any other sport will have one for football. As for the size of Stevens, we may be growing with every new class, but our enrollment is small. Not only are we small in enrollment, but it seems that the campus turns into a ghost town on the weekend. Perhaps, our student body just isn’t interested in sports, and no matter what efforts are made the support never comes. I find this hard to believe and think there is still hope for Stevens to be a sports school.
It starts with promotion. Getting the word out about a big game or match is paramount. I think the student body will show up if they are well-informed. Over the past few years, Stevens athletics and Stevens’ main social media pages have been doing a better job of promoting sporting events. Where they fall short is the timing of the post; they are often posted on the day of the event. This gives little time for students to plan to attend, they likely already have something planned. Stevens students are heavily involved with clubs and organizations around campus. Along with the better promotion of Stevens’ sporting events, a sport-dedicated student section would help boost awareness. All the big sports schools in the country have a devoted student section. They show up to all the events, bring the noise, and fiercely support their team. How cool would it be to see that at Stevens?
Stevens’ athletics has been dominating recently. Last year was the most successful year in the school’s history. We finished 10th in the Learfield Directors Cup DIII Standings, our highest finish ever, which is an award given to colleges and universities with the most success in athletics during the academic year. The DI team in 10th place right now is Alabama, a major sports Power-5 school. Stevens athletics also recorded 13 Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) championships, eight All-Americans, and Stevens’ first national champion in wrestling, Brett Kaliner. A university with this much success in sports should have large crowds at all the big events, not just a crowd, but a student section. Currently, the big crowds that do occasionally show up are a mixture of family, friends, and the away team’s fans. The campus should be buzzing with excitement for a big game. Then, a whole section in the stands would be filled with students cheering on their fellow classmates.
The last factor in making Stevens a complete university is getting the students more involved in athletics. We are a top academic school in a great location, with two brand-new residential towers. Our athletics teams are getting better every year. There are countless clubs and organizations on campus. We have about all you can ask for. Let’s not only be a top academic school but a top academic school with stellar athletics that garners huge support from the students. A college’s athletic team unites the student body. It increases school pride and community amongst students and gets prospective students to want to attend.
