Dear Editor,
Something has got to be done about the lack of school spirit at SUU. It is particularly disheartening to see the lack of attendance at every sporting event aside from football and gymnastics.
I understand that Cedar City is not the most populous city. However, there are easily enough people to fill the seats. I especially plead with the student body to take the time to go to athletic events. There are plenty of opportunities to go cheer on the Thunderbirds, so there is no excuse not to show up at least every once in a while.
You don’t even need to be a big sports fan to enjoy going to games. If you aren’t overly interested in the game itself, it is still a wonderful opportunity to go out and meet new people. It’s possible that you could even make new friends at the events. Plus, every student is paying for season tickets through student fees. Why pay for something and then not take advantage of it?
It’s great that football and gymnastics receive plenty of support from the students and community, but our other sports deserve some love as well. They put in just as much effort and would appreciate it if more people at least pretended to care. I know that the athletic department is trying their best to promote the events any way they can, but nothing seems to work.
As I have said, football gets decent attendance numbers, so why don’t we try to mimic some of the things that they do? For instance, tailgating attracts many people due to creating a fun environment. Obviously it would be hard to hold events similar to tailgates for other sports; however, it wouldn’t be impossible to hold similar attractions in the student center before some events. Bring some of the tailgating games into the student center during the colder months so that students can socialize and have fun prior to filing into the America First Event Center.
I know it’s a difficult problem to solve, but if everyone at the University Journal puts their heads together, maybe it can spark some ideas. It would really go a long way for our school pride if the student body rallied together and supported the teams.
Submitted By
Aaron Peterson, SUU Student
Photo By
Easton Bowring for SUU News
