Standing in the August heat outside Frank Muddy Waters Stadium four years ago my friends and I, all players on the softball team, proudly sported our black Otter Army t-shirts. The crowd of students surrounding us edged closer to entering into the first football game of the season.
We made our way to the stands, buzzing with excitement. The team ran out in its crisp white and royal blue uniforms as a banner waved in the air, proclaiming: Charger Football: Priceless.
This game was during my freshman year and I still remember every detail. There was a huge thunderstorm that temporarily paused the game, so I played card games in MacIntyre Residence until it resumed. When it finally did, I rushed the home bleachers, cheering as the Chargers secured a win against MercyHurst University.
Charger football is priceless, in fact all Charger sports are. I would take a Hillsdale College sporting event over a University of Michigan sporting event every day of the week.
It would be easy to say that Division I sporting events don’t appeal to me because I hate crowdsor because I am more of a homebody, but that would be a lie. I’m as extroverted as they come and that is the reason I am obsessed with Hillsdale sports.
Games are intimate and personal, a better social environment than any U of M game can offer.
It begins with the location of the competition at Hillsdale. Every stadium or field on campus perfectly fits the character of the school: simple and traditional.
They create an intimate experience. You can walk right by the endzone to grab a half time snack. At basketball games fans can practically walk up to Coach Tharp on the sidelines and tell him what play to call.
Fans are in on the action, even if they choose to sit in the farthest seat possible in any of the arenas. And better yet, when the entire football team comes on a Friday night to cheer on the volleyball team, they take up half of Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena, creating an unmatched home court advantage.
It is obvious you’re going to get better quality basketball and softball at U of M, but that doesn’t mean Hillsdale games aren’t as entertaining. Because everyone knows that being at a small school like Hillsdale means everyone knows everyone. Charger athletes aren’t some strangers you pass once in your four years on the way to class. They are people you know, making games something you truly want to invest in.
One of my best friends is Karoline Shelton, an All-American on the volleyball team and my first guy friend on campus was basketball superstar Pat Cartier. Last semester I walked from class to class with linebacker Kyle Kudla, and sat next to sharp shooter Grace Touchette in physics.
This isn’t just an occurrence for me, many others on campus know the athletes, which makes games much easier to invest in. You know the players competing personally. How many people can say they know any of the athletes at U of M? They are basically celebrities there.
Game day at U of M is a holiday. The whole city might as well be at the game. And while games might be just half full at any Hillsdale sporting event, that doesn’t mean they aren’t less of a holiday. They can be anything the fan wants them to be: a chance to get rowdy for your friends competing, or a simple way to relax and enjoy your Saturday.
And athletes here aren’t glorified or celebrated the way they are at big D1 schools — can’t we all be thankful for that? My fellow editors at the Collegian joke about me being a jock, but when it comes down to it, what does that really matter?
I could be biased because I’m an athlete at Hillsdale. I will tip my hat to the very talented athletes at U of M for all they’ve accomplished, but for me, it’ll forever be Chargers by a million.