Pace Paw Print

Media Credit: Alex Pandolfi With these empty stands we ask, where has the school spirit gone?

During the second game of a five game Pace volleyball match on Sept. 22, I was sitting in the stands jotting down ideas for my article. The match was against the Golden Knights of St. Rose which is located in Albany.

While in the stands, the score between the Setters and the Golden Knights was going back and forth. Then it happened. St. Rose took the lead and from behind I heard a line of cheers from what appeared to be the parents of the players. The Golden Knights then took a little more of a commanding lead and I heard more cheers.

When the Setters took the lead which, eventually won them that particular game, I heard cheers for the home team, but this time they were fainter. The applause was nowhere near as boisterous or enthusiastic as the cheers you could get for St. Rose.

It was then that I realized that close to, if not the majority of the crowd of about 125 people, was in favor of the Golden Knights. How can that be? Shouldn't there be more Pace fans in attendance at a home game than fans from the opposing school?

So this past week I did a little investigation into how many people actually attend home games at Pace. I decided to extend my investigation not only into volleyball but also into football and soccer.

I wanted to see if it was just my observation or has attendance for sports events held at Pace been on a decline over the past year.

Just for an example, volleyball suffered a home opening attendance decline by around 200 people. Volleyball's home opener attendance against UMass Lowell last year was 438. This season's attendance at the first home match up against Mercy College was at 275. Since the home opener, the volleyball attendance this season has not even come close to 275. Where is our school spirit?

Volleyball is not the only sport that has experienced a decline. Again, looking at the attendance numbers from the home opening football games from this year and in 2006, there is a decline of a little over 200 people. Home opening attendance in 2006 against Husson was at 1,492 people, while this year's home opener against C.W. Post saw an attendance of 1,285 people. During the 2006 home opener, academic classes weren't even in session yet and the number was still higher. In fact, as of the home opener the attendance at a Pace football game has not even hit 900. Where is our school spirit?

Last, but certainly not least, Pace soccer has also experienced a decrease in attendance. Using the home opener game as an example, the 2006 attendance for soccer against Dominican in the home opener was 284. This year's home opener against the same school was at 175, a decline of over 100 people. The attendance has not surpassed 175 this season. Where is our school spirit?

This past week I randomly asked students at Pace whether or not they attend sports events on campus. The majority of students responded "No," or "I attend some but not others." Only one or two gave me an emphatic "Yes." If they said "No", they often quickly added that they were too busy or they were unaware of the sports events schedule.

Unfortunately, the most common response was that "the teams just aren't performing that well." I find that response very sad and disappointing. I think that the teams that are struggling a bit this year are better than what their record shows.

I especially dislike that answer because it's your university that your diminishing. Let's remember you are not bashing professional athletes. You can't actually be saying students at your own school and, in some cases, your own friends are poor at their respective sport and that's why you will not support them.

If your favorite professional team (regardless of sport) was struggling, would you abandon them? Would you only be a fan of that team when they are winning championships? Personally I wouldn't, and I don't think I have ever met another sports fan that would do that to their favorite team. When a team is struggling is when the team needs the most support from their fans.

Let's help give our teams every possible advantage and show them the respect they deserve. I think it's time for the Pace community to come together and bring some spirit and enthusiasm back to Setters sports.

The perfect place to start is this Sat. at University Fest where the soccer and football teams are facing off against Northeast-10 (NE-10) conference rival Bentley. Soccer starts at 10 a.m. in Briarcliff, while football will have a 12 p.m. kickoff. Also mark your calendars for Oct. 26 to watch Setters volleyball to face off against NE-10 conference rival Stonehill on Senior Day. So come on out and support your Setters!

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