Alex Keuter / ASST. OPINION EDITOR

The views expressed in the editorial and op-ed sections are not necessarily those of  The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego, or its student body.

College sports are a multi-billion dollar industry. Most D1 universities host sports games every week packed with audience members, ready to cheer on the athletes who have worked their whole lives to pursue athletics-some of which will go on to play professionally. When you hear college sports, most people think of big football games, wild crowds and exciting matches. It’s important to cheer for your school during sports games, to show up and show out, to prove you are the most passionate and that your team should win. So, why don’t we have that enthusiasm at USD?

USD has a disappointing lack of school spirit. Despite being a moderately sized university with 17 NCAA Division 1 teams, it’s difficult to find anyone who consistently attends any sports game. The majority of the student crowd at games are other USD teams coming together to support each other, and, while the support from other athletic teams is encouraging, we lack the attendance of a regular student audience. This problem has been steadily increasing since USD’s return to sporting events post COVID-19, with a noticeable lack of fans present during games.

When I first started investigating this topic, I assumed there was a communication issue with the student body — that students simply weren’t hearing about games and therefore weren’t  attending. Or alternatively, that our teams were not performing well enough to garner a larger fan base. However, neither seems to be the case.

Games and schedules are not only posted on USD’s websites, but various USD organizations consistently post about them online as well. Take for instance  the BullPit, which is the official student section of USD Athletics. 

In addition to our official athletics Instagram page, it is easy to find flyers around campus for important games or events. Secondly, our sports teams continue to excel in their athletic performance, yet our audience has failed to follow through and attend the games. For example, our men’s soccer team has won the West Coast Conference twice in a row, women’s volleyball finished third in their league this year, women’s rowing placed second in their league this year and men’s tennis was ranked number 18 in the nation, so that can’t be the reason either. 

According to many students, the real reason for the poor  attendance is the lack of crowds who attend. Students don’t want to go to the games because no one else goes. Without a strong student base, new students don’t feel encouraged to attend games and worry that the experience will be underwhelming. Even those who are curious and may have attended the first few games, such as  first-year Sophia Vanya, may be put off by the lack of energy.  

“I’d want to go more if the student section was better and had more energy,” said Vanya. 

Similar to Vanya, junior Noelle Tanaka never attends games because of the lack of a student section. 

“I don’t like going because there   just  aren’t   that   many   USD students that go,” said Tanaka. 

Students should go to games even  if they aren’t super popular- if not to enjoy the game, then to support the athletes. Having a weak or limited fan base can negatively impact players and their success in games. 

USD  junior  and tennis player Lambert Ruland spoke about the difference between USD and other schools with lots of spirit. 

“When we  played Texas A&M at NCAA’s, there were 300-400 people there, and it was just so much more fun. But here on a very, very good day we might have 80 people out watching.” Ruland stated. “When there’s more people, it’s so much more hype, you enjoy it so much more. Like if you hit a very good shot and people like it too and cheer, it makes it more fun.” 

Sophomore football player Frank Ward remarked on how the start of the semester game with CalPoly helped the players mood. 

“The day with CalPoly when we had a lot of people, it helped bring up our energy a lot more… It gives us focus, it gives us motivation to play, and I think it helps influence the game more,” Ward pointed out. 

Student-athletes deserve to be supported, especially at home   games, and some students such as  first-year Eddie Garcia try to support athletes at all the home games.  In only a  month, Garcia has been to five games. He enjoys attending games to support student athletes 

“These athletes are exceptionally hard working,” Garcia said.“They put a lot of time and effort in, and they deserve to have people cheering them on.” 

He went on to describe the lack of student spirit as disappointing but complicated.

 “I think the lack of spirit is hard because we have a low student population, so it’s hard to compete with those other big schools… but the spirit is definitely lacking and can be better,” Garcia said.  

First-year softball player Sofia Vera agreed the lack of crowds was disappointing.

“As an athlete, you want a crowd, you want to feel supported, I think all the athletes can relate. It doesn’t matter if it’s athletics or like theater or other activities, you just want people there to support you,” Vera said. 

This sentiment is exceptionally true and really shows how unenthusiastic the USD fanbase can be. There will come someday in your time at USD where you will want support, whether it be a performance, a game or your thesis presentation. Someday you will want people around you, and to have that you also need to give back. Show up for people and support them when they need it – especially at athletic events. It is meant to be enjoyable and exciting, and it really is. 

Go to the games even if it is just you and a couple friends. Invite more people, go with clubs or people in your residence hall. Everyone wants better school spirit on campus, but few are willing to make the first steps to foster that environment.

Sports games are an enjoyable experience when we’re all in attendance. Photo Courtesy of @usdfootball/Instagram