The Importance of Fans at Sporting Events
Photo by Alexa Hinjosa
Over two years ago now, COVID rocked everyone's world and changed how society functioned to combat the spread of the virus. Centenary closed campus in March of 2020, cutting the seasons of many spring athletics programs short. Thankfully when student-athletes returned to campus in the Fall of 2020, athletics was allowed to resume but not to the same capacity. All sporting events hosted last year were barred from having fans attend, whether they were Centenary students or outside guests.
Photo by Alexa Hinjosa
Banning fans from sporting events drastically changed the competitive atmosphere at home; the Gold Dome seemed abandoned outside of the competitions taking place on the court and the perimeter of Mayo Field was desolate without prideful students to fill the stands. Instead of social media posts encouraging our peers to come in person, links to watch the live streams for events littered everyone's feed. While it was practically impossible to get around the spectator ban in the Gold Dome, dedicated fans found a way to still watch matches played on Mayo Field in person. Students who couldn’t bear to watch their friends compete via a screen worked around the COVID policies by sitting on top of their cars, which were parked on Woodlawn Avenue behind the field.
Currently, fans from all-around are welcomed at Centenary sporting events and the community could not be more excited. To show their excitement this year students worked together to organize a regular and dedicated student section for Centenary athletics called, The Maroon Mob. The Maroon Mob is a student-run organization that aims to show school pride at every sporting event, they make weekly posts on social media detailing all the sporting events that are happening here on campus as well as what away games will be happening each week.
Photo by Alexa Hinjosa
Allowing fans to come to home sporting events has made campus feel like it’s starting to return to its normal balance. Matthew Lulich, a sophomore lacrosse player who helps out with the Maroon Mob, had this to say when asked about the importance of fans at sporting events, “It shows the close-knit society that is a Division 3 school, and every other sport comes out to support each other. Students cheering for their peers make the athletes want to compete harder and represent the school with pride.” Sporting events are great for campus morale; during COVID many students struggled to find time to relax, enjoy each other's company, and entertain themselves in ways that weren’t via a screen.
It’s also beneficial to the athletes themselves. Being able to compete with fans adds another layer to each sport in which athletes often look to the crowd for encouragement and support. Having supporters that are loud and proud gives the team a mental advantage over their opponents. One thing that commonly occurs when fans get invested in a game is when they start trying to be rude or mean to those involved in the game, this is referred to as heckling. Although fans get invested in the action happening in the game, there are rules the SCAC, the athletic conference most Centenary sports currently reside in, has rules for the fans’ behavior and sportsmanship during the matches that fans must follow, or they could be removed and/or banned from the sporting complex. The rules detail a zero-tolerance policy for profanity, racism, and sexism, and it is important to note that the SCAC does not allow public consumption of alcoholic beverages on the premise of an athletic event.
The rules to follow when watching our Centenary athletics teams compete are easy enough to follow and still have fun supporting peers. After a tough two years riddled with the COVID-19 virus, it’s nice to be able to go watch collegiate sports again on the Centenary’s campus.
For more information about Centenary’s student section organization, The Maroon Mob, check out their Instagram: @centenary_maroonmob!