Very few students who attend the University of Michigan would fail to recognize their football team’s star quarterback passing by them in the hallway. At Hillsdale College, it happens every day.
Increasing student attendance at sports events would greatly improve student life. Hillsdale should require students to attend two sporting events each semester.
There is an unspoken social dilemma that this campus knows too well: Our student body doesn’t know our athletes, and we lack a vibrant culture of support for them.
At Hillsdale, you’re either an athlete or you’re not. Athletes dress differently, sit at different tables, and share a fellowship closer than any Greek fraternity on campus.
Though this split isn’t unique to Hillsdale, addressing it here will give us a more fun, united school culture.
Hillsdale’s 14 men’s and women’s varsity sports compete in around 100 events a year, about 40 of which are on campus. Yet the majority of students will only attend a small number of those games by the time they graduate.
Our intense curriculum makes Hillsdale College a top choice for many students. The quality of students, professors, and even Student Activities Board events are impressive. The place we consistently fall short is our student participation at sporting events.
As a student, I only go to athletic events for two reasons: If one of my close friends is competing in said sport, or if I am required by my radio one-credit class to run the sound board for that game.
Other than that, going to a sports game is the least of my priorities. Between school and social obligations, running to the Splex on a Thursday for a basketball game is not likely to happen.
To boost student attendance at sporting events, Hillsdale should mandate students go to two events per semester.
Four events per year is not a crazy time commitment, even for the busiest student. For example, a basketball game takes an average of two and a half hours and a football game takes three. Especially if one attends with friends on a Saturday evening, supporting our student athletes at sporting events is a lot of fun.
In a similar vein, athletes should be required to attend a musical performance or an art show twice a semester.
The student section at sporting events would grow significantly. By requiring students to go to just two athletic events per semester, there would be an average of 60 students attending each game. That is huge compared to the meager 15 Simpson men in costumes who currently sustain our student section.
Our athletes deserve recognition for their hard work beyond the Athletic Department Instagram posts about their team’s successes. More students will know them and congratulate them on their efforts, boosting overall student morale.
Once there is a bigger cultural shift of students attending sporting events, this requirement can be history, but until then, we need something to bring together students and athletes.
Our student body needs unity and our student athletes need recognition. So why not take a Thursday night to show up for your classmates?
Hershey Hackberry is a junior studying politics.
