Spring Break
COLUMN: UM-D sports on the rise
Marc Sanko
Issue date: 11/25/08 Section: Sports
For all of you who have never ventured over to the Field House, there is no better time to make you first visit than now.
I know UM-D has had some chronically bad sports teams (minus hockey of course) but things are starting to change and it's time that we as students begin to show them some support.
When the Wolf Pack was created last year to be the Student Section for all Michigan - Dearborn sports, it was tough sledding for multiple reasons, primarily because this is a commuter campus and many people didn't think that we even had sports.
But another big reason was the play of our teams last year. It was horrendous. Even the traditionally strong hockey team had a terrible year last year. Despite that, we were able to bring students out to games.
This year is a different story. Women's basketball is undefeated, men's basketball is at .500 and hockey is running a 12-7 record.
The problem is, no one is coming out to watch them play. At first I thought it was ok, because it was fall and everyone was enveloped in Michigan Football, and that's fine. I hate it, but that's a pretty good reason because a lot of people pay a lot of money for those tickets.
But now we are closing in on winter, and I fear that attendance will not increase this year like it did last year. That's a shame because unlike last year, these teams deserve student support this year. So what is it going to take to get students to come out to their own university's games?
I wish I could tell you, but it's something we have been working on for over a year and I still don't get it. But there is one thing I do get.
I understand that students here want to have fun, you really do. I was an Orientation Leader this year, so I heard first hand the questions all the incoming freshman have asked and they are the same questions everyone has been asking since we all got here, "What is there to do for fun around here?" The answer is quite simple folks, come out to a Hockey game on a Friday or Saturday night, or get a group of friends together and go out to the basketball games on Saturday.
I know UM-D has had some chronically bad sports teams (minus hockey of course) but things are starting to change and it's time that we as students begin to show them some support.
When the Wolf Pack was created last year to be the Student Section for all Michigan - Dearborn sports, it was tough sledding for multiple reasons, primarily because this is a commuter campus and many people didn't think that we even had sports.
But another big reason was the play of our teams last year. It was horrendous. Even the traditionally strong hockey team had a terrible year last year. Despite that, we were able to bring students out to games.
This year is a different story. Women's basketball is undefeated, men's basketball is at .500 and hockey is running a 12-7 record.
The problem is, no one is coming out to watch them play. At first I thought it was ok, because it was fall and everyone was enveloped in Michigan Football, and that's fine. I hate it, but that's a pretty good reason because a lot of people pay a lot of money for those tickets.
But now we are closing in on winter, and I fear that attendance will not increase this year like it did last year. That's a shame because unlike last year, these teams deserve student support this year. So what is it going to take to get students to come out to their own university's games?
I wish I could tell you, but it's something we have been working on for over a year and I still don't get it. But there is one thing I do get.
I understand that students here want to have fun, you really do. I was an Orientation Leader this year, so I heard first hand the questions all the incoming freshman have asked and they are the same questions everyone has been asking since we all got here, "What is there to do for fun around here?" The answer is quite simple folks, come out to a Hockey game on a Friday or Saturday night, or get a group of friends together and go out to the basketball games on Saturday.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Kyle S.
posted 11/26/08 @ 9:58 PM EST
It doesn't matter if you like sports or not. It is your chance to get rambunctious, get wild, go nuts, get loud, act like a total nut...and fit right in. (Continued…)
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