Dartmouth sports suck.
Sadly enough, that is the most commonly used phrase today to describe Big Green athletics among students and even some alumni. There is, undoubtedly, a feeling of dismay for many when they consider Dartmouth present versus Dartmouth past.
Yet this image is nothing more than a delusion, one which is founded upon the downfall of a single team and has tragically perpetuated a cycle of fan apathy.
After a brief return to glory in the early and mid-1990s, Dartmouth football, the school's most funded athletic program by alumni, has experienced an unprecedented collapse towards the cellar of the Ivy League. Football has always been viewed as the staple of Dartmouth athletics (and for a number of disgruntled alumni, of the College itself).
To see the importance of football to the Dartmouth mystique as well as alumni relations, just consider the utter hoopla stirred by Karl Furstenberg's comments last year, when the dean of admissions called the football team "a sacrifice to the academic quality and diversity of entering first-year classes."
After working at Green Corps for a year, I can attest to the fact that the most asked question by alumni, old and young, is, "What's wrong with the football team?" And as the football program has hit rock-bottom, so has general support for Big Green sports teams on and off campus.
I must admit, at times even I have been dragged into this myth of Dartmouth "futility" -- partly because I covered the 2-8 football team this fall. I've listened to my roommate discuss his hidden desire to attend a school like Duke or Wisconsin where the event of the week is not a Chi Gam dance party, but an upcoming basketball game which has been sold out for two months.
I can't help but nod my head in agreement after covering teams like field hockey and softball -- where a solid fan base is usually still less than 100 people.
You know there is a problem when there is bigger crowd on line for Sunday breakfast at Lou's than there is in the stands of a women's lacrosse game, and students are more hyped for a pong rematch than the decisive men's soccer game which will determine a possible NCAA bid.
However, I was as surprised as anyone upon reading the headline, "Dartmouth athletics ranked first in the Ivy League" in the Feb. 14 issue of The Dartmouth. So it turns out we're not really that bad. In fact, our sports program is 34th in the nation, according to the renowned Director's Cup standings.
We tend to forget that teams like women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's hockey, men's cross country and men's squash are continuously ranked amongst the nation's elite programs.
What an epiphany. Maybe it's not Dartmouth sports that suck after all -- maybe its Dartmouth sports fans. Maybe those who complain that it's not worth it to go check out a game "because we'll lose anyway," are just lazy and lacking school spirit.
Maybe alumni who no longer donate to Dartmouth because they are upset with Dean Furstenberg's comments are just selfish individuals who, at the end of the day, care little about the school. What an epiphany, indeed.
Anyone who attended the Winter Carnival men's hockey game against Princeton understands the true potential for Dartmouth sports. Sold out for two weeks, Thompson Arena was packed shut with 4,500 towel-waving, whited-out Big Green fanatics who legitimately cared about the outcome of the game and didn't just attend for a social gathering.
The atmosphere was exhilarating and clearly rubbed off on the players themselves. It was the first moment in my two years of covering sports at Dartmouth that I sensed a genuine passion for the game, our athletes and our school.
Whether our administration would like to admit it our not, there is no better way to encourage school spirit and enthusiasm than through sports. Clearly, we are all here first for academics, and nothing should eclipse that priority. That said, you will never find students as fervently excited about physics labs as they would be about a heart-pumping sporting event.
I have a feeling that kids at Michigan get a bit more into their football games as they sit among 100,000 fans than they do for their government lectures -- sorry, professor.
While I understand it is unfair to compare the facilities and sporting potential of a school with 20,000 undergrads to that of Dartmouth, the message is the same: support your teams, and support your school. The student-athlete represents everything that is still pure about college sports and college life in general. The vast majority of our athletes balance class schedules that obliterate non-athletes who don't have to worry about daily 6 a.m. practices and weekday games. (And I would know after attempting to walk on to our baseball team -- I quit after a month.)
Big Green athletes demonstrate a work ethic and ardor that is foreign to most, even when no one is there to watch and cheer. They play the sport they love with an unparalleled dedication, and whether they win or not, they deserve better from us all.
There are Dartmouth teams that lack, and the blame cannot fall solely on the laps of the players. There are issues of recruiting, scheduling, organization and coaching that certainly plague fractions of the athletic department. Nevertheless, this does not excuse the middle-school ambiance present at most Big Green sporting events.
Even if we lose, it's still a blast to scream and jump on the sidelines with friends. It not only shows school spirit, but you'll feel it as well. That's a promise.
Let's pack a women's basketball game. Let's try even harder to make opposing baseball players cry. Let's hand out towels and request color-coordination at more sporting events. While our athletes do, indeed, merit our unwavering support, this call for action is not only for their sake. School is just more fun when we care.
The Winter Carnival men's hockey game can serve as an example for what the future of Dartmouth sports should be. It is now up to everyone of us to make sure that becomes a reality.
