Teams deserve support and attendance

Editor in Chief
Brian Wallheimer

I'd like to know where everyone's school spirit is.

I've been going to volleyball games this year to root for our Lady Cougars. The problem is, sometimes I feel like the only one.

There are a few students mixed throughout the stands with all the parents, but for the most part, I can usually count the number of students on two hands.

I know the excuse. We're a commuter campus, so when the games start, everyone has already gone home. I don't buy that. I am a commuter, but I can drive 15 minutes to a game if I have already gone home.

I have seen better attendance at high school volleyball games than I see at SIUE's games. What are we telling our athletes when they look to the stands and see hundreds of empty seats?

What's worse is what happened on Sept. 26 when the Lady Cougars took on the Washington University Bears. According to the athletic department Web site, there were 125 people at the game. The problem was that almost all of them were from Wash U.

When Wash U. scored a point, the crowd roared. When SIUE scored a point, the only noise one could hear was a grumble from the Wash U. fans and a few claps from a LadyCougar's proud parent.

Volleyball is not the only sport that has low attendance. The Web site has not listed more than 150 attendees at any home soccer game this year.

Why do our athletes compete? The students here apparently don't care. If they did, maybe they would show a little more support.

Many of the volleyball games have been close in their final score. Maybe if the team members had a little more fan support, they might have won the game. Hearing a crowd yell for you or your team can be an incredible charge. Maybe that's what we need to help our teams.

Sporting events are a major part of the college experience. I would hate to look back at my college years and wish that I had gone to a game.

I'm not expecting the Vadalabene Center to be filled to capacity, but I believe that we can muster 300 to 400 people for a game.

There will be a volleyball game at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Vadalabene Center. All student admission is free. I will be there. You can find me by looking for the guy with his face painted half-red and half-white.

I'm not afraid to show pride in my school or its teams. Trust me, it will be written all over my face.