Athletics play an important role in campus culture, even for non-sports fans. Sports teams create community spirit by uniting the masses and offer a social fabric imperative to campus life.
The interest in the athletic events at this University is astonishingly low. Imagine the opposing team bringing in almost as many fans in your own stadium. It happened at the Homecoming football game against Delaware on Oct. 16. The crowd total according to the Athletic Department at that game was just over 7,000, with an estimated third to half Delaware fans. That is embarrassing.
There appear to be several basic reasons why turnout is so low. The first problem stems from the fundamental challenge this University faces in its effort to be a prestigious institution while accepting half of a student body that not only lives off campus, but also is far removed the University community. This is reflected in an incredibly low, albeit improving, freshmen retention rate compared to colleges similar to this one.
Improving the quality and interest in campus life among the student body is difficult when over half of them only want to be on campus for class. The University seems to be moving in the right direction, but to make a sea-change, much more needs to be done.
The University administration is interested in seeing a stronger involvement, it builds on the social quality of the campus and more importantly it means more money in the long run. Athletic teams have proven to be huge forces of influence in alumni giving because they are an easy way for grads to stay connected to their alma mater. This in turn would impact the turnout, thereby attracting more students on campus.
When asked why they go to games, many of the students said it was because they knew one of the athletes. This is also a huge source of attraction. If the athletes are involved in the community through activities, events and the academic departments, they will have greater exposure. These are the smaller grass-roots efforts the Athletic Department and University administration ought to focus on.
In Missoula, Mont. where the local population is 57,000, staggeringly smaller than Nassau County's 1.3 million, the University of Montana's football team has nearly 20,000 spectators at every game whereas this stadium has an average of 5,000. Space is not the issue; the James M. Shuart Stadium can hold another 10,000 guests.
Just last year the Athletic Department hired its first marketing director, which has proven to make an impact, yet the involvement is still weak. The celebrity of the athletic teams is not anything as grand as it should be like they are at so many other colleges. How about advertising in the Roosevelt Field Mall or on local telvision?
This paper has called on the student body before to become more involved with the athletic teams to no avail. If the phrase "tailgate party" were dangled in front of them, there would surely be a surge in attendance.
College students like to have fun on weekends and the football games have never been seen as decent entertainment. The reality is, young people like to be loud and drink. Actually, it is not just young people - look at Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park. The point is obvious, introduce alcohol in a safe way and more people will show up. Make a space for locals and students to have their tailgating parties and they will show and cheer, loudly.