SXU’s Football game at night The Xavierite
Going to a Saint Xavier sporting event is like sitting in a void. Picture this: You are attending a sporting event. You pay for your ticket, get some snacks, and take your seat. As you look around, people are sitting like a country, miles apart from each other. The public address announcer attempts to hype up the crowd, but the crowd gives scattered noises. That is the experience of a Saint Xavier fan.
I’ve gone to this school for three years now, and attended a plethora of Saint Xavier sporting events, whether they be basketball, football, soccer, or baseball. Whatever sport it is, it’s an odd ambience. It always feels as if something is missing, which is a student section.
I came from a high school with a strong student body. The student section was activated for every sporting event. I’m talking about the type of fan base that would caravan, if needed, forty minutes or more for away games. I remember at the football games they had unwritten rules, such as freshmen sitting towards the top of the bleachers and seniors sitting on the bottom. Another rule I remembered was that at every event you had to stay standing the whole time.
The student section is what made high school a little more enjoyable. It was something about those “You can’t do that,” chants that were so nostalgic. I remember the student section was the best way to converse with other students. Most of the friends I made back at high school were from those sporting events. I even created some great memories with some people I still keep in touch with.
Coming into college, I expected the exact same energy. I was desperate to see all the students from campus crowding the entrance like a Walmart on Black Friday. Let’s just say I was a very disappointed freshman that day. I remember attending my first sporting event with my newly acquired friend group. It was a football game, when the Cougars hosted Saint Thomas University on a sunny early Saturday afternoon.
There were a handful of people there. It wasn’t as much as I expected, but people still attended. This was my first time sitting in the stands of a football game in a while, because I played varsity football my senior year. As I reminisced about wasting my time riding the bench, the game was pretty much over. The fans were pretty reckless and the Cougars were losing, but that’s just a part of the game. I remember watching the demeanor of the fans. They were vocal about their disappointment on the play calling and the refereeing, and eventually I had to get used to it.
This school needs a student section. The amount of times I look at the stands for some of the games, and there are more opposing team fans than our own, has me shaking my head. When I became an athlete and was informed that we will never have home meets, I was pretty deflated. At the same time that wasn’t my main concern, as someone who is associated with fellow athletes here I’ve gotten insight on their opinions.
“I absolutely do believe that there should be a student section. Especially, if they were active. That would be lit,” explained Junior Infielder, Vaughn Smith.
In my conversation with Smith. It solidified my theory of how athletes at Saint Xavier do want people to see them compete. Speaking of athlete’s committing hours, days, and weeks to train for their respective sport. I’m sure it would be great to be seen by people around the school.
Even as an athlete myself. I participate in the school’s Track and Field team, and due to resources, we never have home meets. Just to see that my coaches, family, and teammates cheer me on as I throw is sufficient as it is. If I were to have friends, classmates, or even professors come and watch, it would be great.
In all, if we were to revive the school’s student section, the campus would be a lot more enjoyable. Although this campus has more commuters than people who dorm, having a student section would give commuters a reason to stay and be immersed with the campus. On top of that, it will get people on campus to converse with people they might have never seen before.
A revival of a student section would make every slam dunk, home run, and touch down that much enjoyable. Coug Nation sounds like a great name for a student section.