After being sports editors for two and a half years, we’ve noticed a trend occurring at sporting events and decided it was a relevant topic of discussion.
On Tuesday, January 19, Goshen’s men’s basketball team hosted conference opponent Taylor University.The Maple Leafs rolled to a 91-73 victory over the visiting Trojans while a small student section cheered on. Coming from athletic backgrounds, this is something we notice quickly when we arrive at a game.
Small student turnout at sporting events is not only an issue that occurs during basketball games—it happens at almost any game except men’s soccer games. Occasionally other sports’ events will draw large groups of students, but that is only reserved for games against “big” opponents.
For example, when the women’s basketball team hosted Marian University in a game to determine who would be ranked number one in the conference, there was a large crowd of students to cheer on.
But on almost any other night, if the women, who are ranked 20th in the nation, or the men have a game, the turnout is generally small.
We understand that weekday nights can be a busy time for students, but if time can be made for men’s soccer games, then time can be made for other sporting events as well.
There’s nothing wrong with attending men’s soccer games, but there are other games going on and the athletes enjoy and appreciate having fans come out to their games and cheer them on.
With basketball season winding down, the rest of the games will be against conference opponents before the conference tournament begins at the end of February, so come on out and support Goshen athletics.
Goshen is a small campus, so supporting athletics means supporting your friends, roommates and acquaintances. And this doesn’t just apply to athletics—it applies to going to choir concerts, orchestra concerts, plays and other campus events.
