On a cool autumn evening, a player gets ready for one of their last golf matches of the season. They have been dedicated to their game for many years and have put in effort to improve their game day in and day out. Looking around, they see many of their family and friends there to support them. However, they can not help but notice the distinct difference between the number of fans there and at football games. This raises the question in the player’s mind: why do some sports get so much attention while others are overlooked?
Senior Jack Policheri has been on the golf team for three years. Usually an underrepresented sport, there are significantly fewer fans at golf matches.
“We usually just have parents and family show up to our golf matches, so [there are] about 15 or so people total,” Policheri said. “Usually 2-4 people per group.”
Raider Nation, which tries to bring the school together to show support for sports and activities, is aware of the disparity between activities.
“We realize that students have lives outside of school, and it’s really easy to get to football because it is on a Friday night,” Raider Nation sponsor Bradley Aney said. “But we try our best about trying to reach every single sport, so we are an all-inclusive Raider Ration.”
Raider Nation is trying to bridge the gap between support for football and other sports by going to all of the different activities’ games and events each season.
“For volleyball, there is a decent amount of people that come out, we usually pack the stands,” Raider Nation leader Niko Knanishu said.
Aney talks about how, while we do have a decent amount of student participation, it could always be better.
“We are still not happy with where we are at, but we are always trying to improve our craft to get as many students at each of these events,” Aney said. “[We want] all sports to feel like they are a part of Raider Nation, not just football.”
While now there is not an equal amount of interest in sports and activities across the board, there are things people can do to help show support. Following Raider Nation’s and sports’ social media pages is just one of them, along with going to away games, and most importantly, cheering while being there.
“We want fans that are dedicated,” Knanishu said. “Just participating and being an active member of the student section.”
