Supporting the “Other” Sports

As a Tribal Fever representative here at William and Mary, I can say from personal experience that it is tough to convince Tribe students to step away from their class work and myriad of other extracurriculars and attend games. This problem is compounded when the sport at question is one that is not constantly in the limelight. Football and Men’s Basketball are not tough sells; there is a constant buzz around campus whenever they are successful, and many of our students take the opportunity to attend the games as a social function if nothing else. The same cannot be said (at least not presently) for our other sports, despite the fact that a number of the teams (Men’s Soccer, Women’s Lacrosse, and Cross Country to name a few) have been nationally ranked and enjoyed nearly unprecedented success this season.

Having attended a number of these games myself, I can say that they are almost always a good time, and the precision of execution on the field is something a person can only appreciate first hand. The athletes themselves love to see their friends and fellow students come out to watch the results of their countless hours of labor behind the scenes. William and Mary has always been an extremely supportive community in many other aspects, and I see no reason why this shouldn’t extend onto the relationships between athletes and non-athletes as well.

This coming week, there will be a great number of opportunities to support some of the teams that are typically under-represented in terms of student attendance. This Friday, April 8, at 4 PM, our Men’s tennis team is playing versus rival VCU on the Busch Tennis Courts right next to the Caf. It is an easy walk, and we are forecasted for mid-70’s and sunny outside, so there is really no excuse to miss this one. Two days later, on April 10, our Women’s Lacrosse team (ranked #15 in the nation) takes on JMU at the Albert-Daly Stadium complex, a short two-minute drive down Ironbound Road. Both of these games promise to be well worth attending, and will be a fun (and free of charge!) bit of entertainment.
Our spring sports might not be the “big-money” headliners in college athletics, but they are just as important in terms of representation. Since its inception, Tribal Fever has made them a major target to reach out to and help boost in popularity. We will continue to strive to innovate more creative ways to drive fans to these games, but the impetus will always be on you, the student, to come out and show your classmates some support.