Molly Brown
Writer
As the weather finally seems to be getting warmer and with Easter weekend under our belts, spring is fully underway. Around campus many students are taking advantage of the weather opportunities, taking in the sun to relax after a stressful day in classes, whether by laying in the grass on the quad, throwing around a frisbee or simply taking a run outdoors for a change. A huge component of campus life is athletics. Yet here on campus, there is a drop in attendance at sporting events in comparison to the fall season and the crowd-drawing men’s basketball games in the winter, at least based on personal viewing. I do not think students view these spring sports as lesser than the fall ones, a sort of seasonal superiority complex. Rather, I feel the spring weather deters students from going to the sporting events.
This sounds ridiculous. Who wouldn’t want to go catch a baseball game when the weather’s warm and sunny and you’re looking for some relaxation? If one proceeds with the weather argument, why would people wish to attend a football game when the temperature could be below freezing with additional wind chill and perhaps wintry precipitation? In reality, the springtime, despite its busy schedule, winds down the school year, relatively speaking. This is not to suggest that students blow off their schoolwork nor that professors lighten the course loads. There just seems to be more people outside enjoying some free time than there are in the fall. For relaxing, students may feel like lying down in the grass instead of getting pepped up at a sporting event where the hope is to have a raised blood pressure by the end of the game or match. Conversely, in the fall, the main motivation for sporting event attendance lies in the sense of camaraderie you get when you and your friends bundle up against the weather and pour your hearts out screaming “’Ray Bucknell” for your Bison. Bad weather is not an obstacle to attendance in the fall. The spring, though, is another story. If you have a deluge on your hands, there aren’t going to be too many students who are going to want to catch the double header. The same applies for the cold in the spring: cold in the fall is enticing, but in the spring, it dissuades people from venturing outside.
In addition to the weather, there also seems to be a lack of advertising around campus for them. So far, the only real attention-getter for a spring game is the baseball board outside the back of the ELC. I feel like students just might not know when there’s a lacrosse or tennis match. Even though the common response might be that “the schedules are online,” what if it’s a spur of the moment decision; just something to do in the evening or the afternoon? With the fall sports, it seems like everyone knows when the football and soccer games are, whether they’re home or away, what attire is requested, etc. With spring sports, this common knowledge is not as easily accessible or even in existence.
I think a bit more information will go a long way in promoting student attendance at spring sporting events. College sports are great and our University’s are even better. So, the next time you feel like sitting in the sun, why not see if there’s a way to catch a game at the same time?