2008 Woodie Awards
Cheer on the Lady Mules, too
Amy Cohen
Issue date: 10/25/07 Section: Op/Ed
- Page 1 of 1
"No one comes to watch the girls play, they just aren't as popular," is an answer from my teammate that I have a hard time forgetting when asking her why there seemed to be no one in the stands cheering for one of the women's sports teams last year. That answer repeats in my mind every time I look up at the stands at one of my own games, only to find that 75% of our fans are parents and the rest are our roommates.
I came from a high school where Athletics were big. Going to a women's volleyball game on a Tuesday night in the fall was just as popular as going to a men's hockey game in the winter. The students enjoyed supporting their friends, and they were proud of the bragging rights that came with each reaffirming win. Playing in front of a huge home crowd was not only thrilling, bit also intimidating to our rival teams that at times, were cheered off our fields and courts and back onto their buses.
Recently, I walked past one of the men's home soccer games on my way to my friend's room. I was happy to see that Muhlenberg was winning and that there was a decent sized home crowd in the stands cheering them on. A few nights later, I went to support my friends at their women's soccer game and I was dismayed to find that I was one of the few in the stands that was not a parent of a player. Why weren't there more students cheering on our Lady Mules?
Our female athletes are just as devoted to their teams as the men athletes are. The women love their sports and train just as hard as their male counterparts do. Sometimes the women's teams have better records than the men's do, and sometimes they don't. Either way, I can tell you from first hand experience that the games are just as exciting as the guy's games. And the best part is, because our school is as small as it is, chances are you already know and are friends with a female athlete, so the women who are playing are not strangers.
I take offense when I hear people complain that there's nothing to do at Muhlenberg on the weekends. Go to an athletic event! Support your friends and your classmates, please. I see plenty of people on Academic Row going to classes in Muhlenberg clothing, so its not as if we're completely lacking in school spirit. I'm not saying you need to paint yourself in cardinal red and grey body paint in order to show some school spirit; I'm just saying it might be fun to go support our Mule with a group of friends. Think of it as another fun, maybe different, activity to do around campus. Perhaps it will open up new doors for other opportunities and experiences to have at the College.
Please, show your local Lady Mule some support and cheer her on at her next event. I'm sure she'll appreciate it, and you'll definitely have fun while watching. Remember to be loud, stay positive and have fun. Go Mules!
I came from a high school where Athletics were big. Going to a women's volleyball game on a Tuesday night in the fall was just as popular as going to a men's hockey game in the winter. The students enjoyed supporting their friends, and they were proud of the bragging rights that came with each reaffirming win. Playing in front of a huge home crowd was not only thrilling, bit also intimidating to our rival teams that at times, were cheered off our fields and courts and back onto their buses.
Recently, I walked past one of the men's home soccer games on my way to my friend's room. I was happy to see that Muhlenberg was winning and that there was a decent sized home crowd in the stands cheering them on. A few nights later, I went to support my friends at their women's soccer game and I was dismayed to find that I was one of the few in the stands that was not a parent of a player. Why weren't there more students cheering on our Lady Mules?
Our female athletes are just as devoted to their teams as the men athletes are. The women love their sports and train just as hard as their male counterparts do. Sometimes the women's teams have better records than the men's do, and sometimes they don't. Either way, I can tell you from first hand experience that the games are just as exciting as the guy's games. And the best part is, because our school is as small as it is, chances are you already know and are friends with a female athlete, so the women who are playing are not strangers.
I take offense when I hear people complain that there's nothing to do at Muhlenberg on the weekends. Go to an athletic event! Support your friends and your classmates, please. I see plenty of people on Academic Row going to classes in Muhlenberg clothing, so its not as if we're completely lacking in school spirit. I'm not saying you need to paint yourself in cardinal red and grey body paint in order to show some school spirit; I'm just saying it might be fun to go support our Mule with a group of friends. Think of it as another fun, maybe different, activity to do around campus. Perhaps it will open up new doors for other opportunities and experiences to have at the College.
Please, show your local Lady Mule some support and cheer her on at her next event. I'm sure she'll appreciate it, and you'll definitely have fun while watching. Remember to be loud, stay positive and have fun. Go Mules!