By Jake Sutera
In addition to Saturday’s match against the University of California, Davis, three more Northeastern home football games will be televised on Comcast SportsNet this season. This is the first time in the school’s athletic history that four home football games will be televised said Athletics Director Peter Roby.
In an effort to solidify the reputation of the athletic department and build school spirit, the university has launched a promotion campaign to promote athletics has been launched, he said.
“We wanted to create some buzz on campus so we reached out to Comcast about possibly airing some football games this season,” Roby said. “We wanted to promote the program.”
The first televised game of the season aired on Comcast Saturday, when the Huskies captured their first win of the season with a 21-10 decision over the University of California, Davis.
The next three games will be televised Oct. 4, Oct. 11 and Oct. 18.
Two conference games were already scheduled for broadcast due to a previous deal with Comcast but this was the first year that two additional Northeastern home games are being broadcasted.
For the first year, Freshmen received a packet during Welcome Week informing them about the Northeastern’s sports teams including their home schedules. Athletic posters line the walls of residence halls and advertisements are being seen in local publications, Roby said.
Several events have taken place and others are in the works that the university hopes will further this push. On Sept. 24, the Athletics Department invited students to Stetson East to take part in a meet-and-greet with the football team, according to university advertisements.
Some students said they would be interested in attending Northeastern athletics events.
“I’m definitely going to make some home games this year,” said Christopher Wolfel, a freshman business major. “It’s a great way to support the school and meet new people.”
Greg Fratellone, a freshman biology major, also said he would attend games.
“I’m proud to be a part of Northeastern,” he said. “I plan on going to all the sporting events and getting involved in as many clubs as I can. I want to get the most out of my time here.”
This is not the first push the university has made to draw students to athletic events. Last October, SGA and the Athletics Department attempted to implement an incentive raffle to reward students who attended some athletic games, including men’s hockey and football, according to an Oct. 1 Northeastern News article. However, Student Government Association (SGA) Vice President for Student Affairs Erin Pritchard said the program never got off the ground due to technical issues, but added SGA hopes to implement it this year.
Pritchard declined to give an exact date for the launch, but said SGA hoped to begin the incentive program in October.
Last September saw the launch of GoNU.TV by two former athletics employees in an effort to make Northeastern sporting events more accessible to students and alumni, according to a Sept. 13, 2007 Northeastern News article. For a fee, anyone can stream Northeastern games. Field hockey is the only sport not available for online viewing, the article stated.
Competitions are another possibility to promote athletics and generate school spirit.
“We’re trying to work with [the Resident Student Association] to try and do something competitive with the residence halls. It’s still in the planning stages,” Pritchard said.
Student involvement is the key to a successful sports program and the athletic department has teamed up with organizations like SGA in hopes to build interest among the student body, said Philomena Mantella, vice president for enrollment and student life.
This year a major athletic push was initiated in order to build up Northeastern’s athletic reputation and give students a “total college experience, both academic and extracurricular,” Mantella said.
“Athletics are a very public representation of the institution. There has been great interest from the student body thus far, which is great,” she said. “We want to continue to enhance our program. We have made a commitment to athletics and we are in it for the long haul.”
– Staff writer Anne Baker
contributed to this report.
