Fans in the stands lead to football champs- Read how school spirit has shaped the season
Casey Burton, Sports Editor
Although North Greenville University is not notorious for strong student sections… this coming football season has already set the bar high for student interaction at the first home game.
On September 16, NGU’s first home game of the season took place and there wasn’t an empty seat on the Crusader side.
From all the students decked out in black attire for the black-out theme, the horns and bells used for cheering the team on, to the megaphone used for extra loudness; the students showed out.
The support shown in previous years has been underwhelming. The cheerleaders would be lucky if there was a student section larger than three rows. However, I think this was due to the student bodies’ faith in the team.
This year has already been a good season for the Crusaders. The team is currently on a winning streak, and it has fired up everyone in the community. This is reason to believe that the student sections will most likely be on the rise this season.
This is good news for everyone. Bigger support from the students will have a positive effect on all the athletes and school overall. This will motivate the players, give the cheerleaders a reason to yell and push the school forward in the community.
The amount of crowd interaction determines the spirit of the game. The spirit serves as a reminder to the players of why they’re playing and who they’re representing.
Like other college schools, football is the big star of athletics. When you think of Clemson University’s sports or just in general… most people automatically think of football and tailgating. North Greenville University has been upping their game in terms of getting students involved.
Student life offered students transportation, food and free admission to the first game of the season when the Crusaders went to Charleston Southern University, August 1. The love and support shown at the game was a pleasant surprise to all athletes as the stands were filled with school-spirit.
NGU even hosted a school-wide tailgating event at their first home game of the season to encourage more people of treating this game as an all-day affair. This helped get people to the stadium and it also built the anticipation and excitement for the game.
In going the extra mile and encouraging more students to support the athletics, the support shown has made a drastic increase. In the past, games would be sometimes mentioned at the end of chapel services. But now student engagement is being pushed and it pushes our athletes to push even harder at making their peers proud.
On top of having a successful season, the tailgating and themed games are great for pushing student interaction. More school spirit at games builds community and means more school pride in general. This is beneficial for a good college experience. With that being said… go Crusaders!
