We are more than just a hockey school. Despite the hockey craze that comes with being a college student in Boston, there is more to Northeastern sports than cheering in the Doghouse at Matthews Arena for every home game. Our success as a whole in athletics is frequently overlooked, as fans choose to attend only the big events.
For a visiting team, there might not be anything more intimidating than a packed and rowdy home crowd, one that is raucously loud and ready to heckle at a moment’s notice. The atmosphere at home games with packed stands is incredible. College sports are different from professional sports for many reasons, but the fan base may be the biggest one. We have a connection to the players at this university that you just don’t have with your favorite professional team. College players, especially for mid-major schools, are playing for the love of the game. There is no max contract that they are hoping to sign with Northeastern. There are no endorsement deals waiting for them after big performances each night. They play because they love the sport and the school. These players represent us as Huskies, and the least we can do to thank them is to show up and give them the support that they deserve.
Northeastern athletics are not, by any means, the primary drawing point of our university, but why can’t they be a much bigger part of student life? What is to prevent us from showing up in masses to games, cheering the whole time and never sitting down? When Northeastern defunded our football program in 2009, the intended effect was to spread the wealth to the other athletic programs at Northeastern. With this funding, the exposure and success of our teams has grown. Take it on a sport by sport basis: men’s soccer saw its most successful year ever last season with a CAA title and a first round win in the NCAA tournament. Despite losing forward Don Anding, the Huskies are still strong title contenders led by senior Dante Marini with a 3-0-1 CAA record. However, home games at Parsons Field are sometimes scarcely attended, even with the fan bus provided. The volleyball team is 12-7 overall and 4-1 in CAA play, but not as many fans show up to the Cabot Center to support Kelly Bacon and her squad.
This trend is seen throughout the rest of Northeastern’s varsity sports. Whether baseball or basketball, field hockey or hockey, swimming or track and field, we just don’t seem to come out and support our fellow classmates as much as we could. Maybe the athletic office could advertise more for upcoming events, but would that make a difference? I feel as though the lack of attendance is sometimes due to distance. Home games at Parsons Field can be harder to get to than a game around the corner. There is always a fan bus that transports students to and from games, and the walk to the field isn’t bad at all, but the distance of Parsons from campus makes it hard to get any fans who decide last minute that they want to go to a game. You need to have made the decision to attend in advance to get there on time. Whatever the circumstances, we should not let these types of setbacks prevent us from showing our support to our athletes who work so hard to represent us.
This is by no means a way of calling out our fan base, especially the loyal fans who do attend as many games as possible. It is, however, a call to arms of sorts. We are the top private school in the country in terms of admissions, this year alone receiving 47,322 applications for 2,800 freshman seats. We have a total full-time enrollment count exceeding 20,000 students. It is an honor and a privilege to be a Husky. The least we can do to show how appreciative we are is to go to games. Pack the stands. Cheer loudly. Most importantly, let our athletes know that we are there for them, that we support them and that we appreciate the fact that they represent us on the field. We are all a group of students who share Northeastern University in common. So let’s start acting like it.
– Dan McLoone can be reached at [email protected]
