A long time ago, when I first arrived at Dartmouth, one of the things that I looked forward to most was attending our athletic events. In the fall, I made a point of going to our Homecoming football game and almost witnessed an amazing upset of Harvard's undefeated team. When winter term rolled around, I braved the long trek from the Choates to Thompson Arena for a long-awaited opportunity to witness my first Dartmouth hockey game. Soon enough it was springtime and I found myself in the stands once again, this time cheering on our highly ranked men's lacrosse team. Unfortunately, I quickly lost my enthusiasm for Dartmouth athletics, not because we did not field quality teams, but because the rest of my classmates seemed apathetic at best toward Dartmouth's sporting events. I have not been to a single athletic event since.
Before coming to Dartmouth, I attended a small public high school that had a remarkable sense of school spirit. We painted our faces, wore red and black (our school colors) and had a genuine dislike for our town rivals. I assumed that Dartmouth would engender the same pride, spirit and passion for its athletic programs. I did not necessarily expect all our teams to be competitive, but I figured that students would support them anyway. I also assumed that Division I college sporting contests would be more intense and more exciting than my high school games in southwestern Connecticut. In my experience at Dartmouth, this has not been the case.
I do not understand why support for our athletic teams is so hard to find at Dartmouth. In all other aspects of college life, Dartmouth students are extremely spirited. We devote ourselves to the Tucker Foundation and other worthy causes. We argue passionately that pong is the best drinking game in existence. We work tirelessly on a snow sculpture for the Winter Carnival even though balmy temperatures have melted most of our snow. I may never forget the image of a member of H-Croo treating a streetlight like a good-looking coed at a Chi Gam dance party when my bus cruised into Hanover for freshman Trips. Make no mistake: Dartmouth students have an exceptional amount of school spirit. Unfortunately, we simply do not back our sports teams.
I understand that Dartmouth students have other pursuits to spend their time and effort on, some of which are actually intellectual. However, I can think of no reason why my small suburban high school created a significantly more stimulating and electric atmosphere at our sports games. Okay, a lack of enthusiasm for our disappointing football team is understandable. I can live with that. There is certainly a fan base for our nationally-ranked teams in major spectator sports; we merely lack the energy and enthusiasm to make the games exciting.
Back when I actually went to games, I was not the only one who spent more time talking about what was happening later that night than I did cheering. I did not even get to throw tennis balls at the Princeton hockey goalie because we got shut out. We should not go to hockey games to sit in our seats and watch the action. We should go to show our school pride and cheer like maniacs throughout the entirety of the contest. In high school there was rarely a stretch longer than five minutes when the entire crowd was not engaged in a coordinated chant or cheer.
Why am I complaining about lack of enthusiasm for athletics when I myself have not been to a game in two terms? Because I am still willing to go back if changes are made. I have become apathetic, but I am not past the point of no return. If we start acting a little more lively at our sporting events, perhaps the games will become more fun to attend. Shouting something more than the occasional "Let's Go Dartmouth!" ought to do the trick. Greengate seems like a good start; after all, there is nothing better at making college kids noisy and rowdy than alcohol. A group of students organizing the student section during big games would also help. All it takes is a few devoted fans to organize some cheers and the rest of the crowd will join in; trust me, I have seen it happen.
If enthusiasm for sports had been my number one priority for college, I would have applied to Notre Dame. But excitement for college athletics is still a critical part of building a strong alumni foundation and offers a great opportunity to demonstrate our school spirit. Our sports teams need our support and we should all make a better effort to not only go out to the games, but make sure we are heard.
