If someone had told me two years ago that I’d be going to a Division I school where I could sit in the front row of every basketball game for free, I wouldn’t have believed them.
The Stampede is at every single game, but I’ve only ever seen a group of nearly 25 students twice in the times I’ve gone. The leaders always leave funny cardboard cutouts and signs all around the student section, but most of them are left untouched since no one is there to use them. The most recent men’s basketball game I attended Feb. 8 only had 10-15 students present.
For a school of about 12,000 students, that number is disappointingly low. More students need to be out supporting our athletes.
Basketball has such a special place in my heart, and I had the privilege to play all four years of high school. I remember one specific game where it was neck-and-neck up until the end, and I chased a ball out of bounds and almost ran right into a group of students sitting in the front row of the bleachers.
I lost my balance and they held me upright as I heard a bunch of variations of, “Good hustle, two!”—that was the number I wore in high school—and “Get back out there! You’ve got this!”
I was focused and jumped back into the game without saying anything, but I felt a huge boost of energy and confidence for the rest of the game. We ended up losing—Basic High School in Las Vegas can meet me outside after this—but I’m still grateful for the support from the students.
I love college basketball and go to games when I can, but I’ve noticed that our attendance at games has been super low. I know we’re a small school, but I expected to see way more people come to games to support our basketball troops.
A platform called College Pulse surveyed students in 2019 to see how many students attended their college’s sporting events. Over two-thirds of the respondents said they either never or rarely go. That seems to be the case for Utah Tech.
I remember feeling bummed on behalf of the team when I saw how few people were there. Both the men’s and women’s teams haven’t had great seasons, and I suspect that’s playing into the low student attendance.
Being an athlete can be hard, especially when your team keeps losing games. With our loud cheering and rambunctious support from the sidelines, we students can provide that extra boost for our teams and our fellow students who are out playing the sport they love.
As a former athlete myself, I can say even though we might not show that we hear the shouts from the crowd, we do. We can hear when students and spectators alike join together to rally behind us, and the fight becomes a little easier when we have a brigade of support backing us up.
The NCAA even published a report about how athletes perform differently based on the fans in attendance. That means if you cheer, our athletes will feel it. Why not spend time supporting and uplifting each other?
I know sports all across campus could use our support, and I invite anyone to go and add to the electric energy of the Burns Arena for the rest of the basketball season. Even if you don’t like sports, games are still fun and a great way to spend the night with friends and our athletes would very much appreciate it.
