Where Did All the Fans Go?

Last semester, as our men’s soccer team went through arguably their greatest season ever, the stands were packed for every match. But, somehow, between Christmas break and today, all those fans disappeared.

Now, I understand that it’s more fun to see a winning team, but we as fans have to play our role for the teams on the court/field to do theirs. Think about it. Would you like to play a whole game in front of an empty stadium? Of course not, so we as fans need to come out and show support for our friends, classmates, and fellow students as they compete.

Being the son of a professor, department chair, dean and avid sports fan, I have been attending Vanguard sporting events since I was eight. But I have never seen so few people attending the games, since men’s soccer season.

A few seasons ago, when the men’s and women’s basketball teams made national tournament runs, the Pit was packed. You would have to get there early to find a seat or you would be stuck on the floor or standing around the top railing. But my question is where did those days go?

If you recall, when the Seattle Seahawks upset the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints, Marshawn Lynch scored an electrifying touchdown run. In the process of running through over ten missed tackles, Lynch scored one of the greatest scoring runs in playoff history. But more impressively, Quest Field where the team plays was such a ruckus that the stadium literally shook. The seismic monitoring center near the stadium recorded “earthquake” like tremors during the touchdown run.

In no way am I suggesting the fans shake down the Pit, but we can become a 6th man for our teams. They need our help more then ever, for all sports on campus. Being friends with many athletes at Vanguard, they all routinely ask for everyone to come to their games and support them. Many close games, they say, are decided by the crowd’s effect on the game. The impact of a crowd cheering and heckling can be a bigger effect than one may imagine.

The way the school rallied around the men’s soccer team was a sight to behold. Fans painted, cheering and supporting the Lions, but it is now gone. Let’s bring all that back and more for the remainder of the sports. The basketball teams want the support of the school, as both teams are battling through rough seasons. Every game helps, every little bit helps, every fan helps.

Fans, let’s do our part. Let’s yell, scream, cheer for our teams and help as much as we can. We would want them to attend our games if we were the athletes, so let’s pay it forward. The Cameron Crazies from Duke and the fans from Texas A&M are some of the most wild fanatics in their respective sports, so let’s begin a new one here at Vanguard.