By ALEX MULHALL – STAFF WRITER
Let me ask you something. When was the last time you went to a game for a team here at Centre? You don’t remember? Seriously? Come on. There’s a game almost everyday. Really? You have no idea? That’s a problem.
Centre’s teams are good. Like, “I’ll be surprised if we don’t win our conference title” good. The men’s basketball, women’s soccer, field hockey, and men’s lacrosse teams all made the NCAA tournaments last year, and that’s just the ones I can name off the top of my head. That’s a huge deal.
There are about 1,000 Division III teams around the country. Alright, not really, but there are a lot. It’s incredibly tough to make the tournament, and we had four make it last year alone.
The team records shouldn’t matter, though. Why don’t you want to support your friends? I’m willing to bet that the average student knows a fair number of athletes here at Centre. I mean, there are only about 1,200 of us here, with approximately 40 percent of the student body participating in varsity athletics.
Unless you just refuse to talk to anyone, you’d really have no choice but to interact with some of the athletes here in some capacity.
The intimacy of Centre is what makes the games so much fun. When you’re cheering for your favorite Division I team, you don’t have any real personal connection to them. They are one-dimensional people who you do not know outside of the context of sports.
At Centre, you actually know the players in the game. You are more invested in the stands because their loss is your loss. Their joy is your joy. You get to feel like you’re a part of the team.
And you know every athlete works hard. You can tell by the dozens of bags of iced taped to calves and shoulders in Cowan. When you blow off a game, what you’re really saying to your friends is, “I know that you’ve put your blood, sweat, and tears into making your team the best it can be, but I don’t care enough about our friendship to support you.” If you sacrificed all of your free time for something you cared about, wouldn’t you want your friends to support you?
And don’t give me the homework excuse. You have too much homework? Everyday? Unless you’re taking Organic II with Dr. Workman for all four of your classes (which isn’t even possible), you definitely have some free time to go support Centre athletes.
How hard is it to take a couple hours out of your day to watch Centre Women’s Soccer (CWS) dominate? Or is it too difficult to walk to Sutcliffe and get rowdy in a student section for a basketball game?
Look, I love Centre. Despite how much I complain about the food in Cowan, the never-ending homework, and the smell of Hillside, Centre is probably my favorite place in the world. I’m not saying I’ve had perfect attendance at every athletic event in my four years here. I’ve picked a nap over a game more times than I care to admit. But, I care about my friends and I care about sports.
You love Centre, too. I know you do. You wouldn’t be reading our student newspaper if you didn’t care about what was going on here. Athletics are becoming an even bigger aspect of what makes Centre so great.
Centre athletes deserve to have their effort supported, so quit with the excuses, log out of Netflix, and get out to a game. You won’t regret it and you’re friends who are athletes will certainly appreciate it.