Students Supporting Students: Show Up!

This article was written by Caleb TeBrake

Picture this – it’s your biggest game of the year and you look around the stands to see an entire student section cheering solely for you. Then you come down to earth and realize that’s not a reality for the majority of our athletes.

The truth is, students go to football games and basketball games and that’s it. For reasons unknown to me people don’t really go to other sporting events. Northview students should begin to support athletics as a whole. If less popular sports begin to draw attention, I guarantee the athletes in these less watched sports will perform better, feel more seen, and school spirit would be boosted dramatically.

Over the course of my four years at Northview High School I’ve been on numerous athletic teams. I’ve played in front of some pretty large student sections, and on the contrary played in front of crowds numbering no more than 30. The games and other sporting events in front of large crowds were the games I played my best. The majority agrees that going to football and basketball games are lots of fun, largely because of these athletic programs’ past success. Obviously hard work and talent contribute to their winning, but in a close game, such as our football win last year against Catholic Central, the crowd played a large factor in the conference triumph. Or last year’s basketball victory against South Christian where it came down to a last minute shot to defeat our conference rivals, the crowd pumping our athletes up is what gives them the extra motivation to grind for just a little longer. Crowds play a very important role in the way the game turns out and if all our athletes could compete in front of fans more than once or twice a year, our teams would win and continue to win. The feeling you get when you’re playing in front of a big crowd is unmatched. The cheers, seeing your friends’ faces, and all these things help you get pumped up for what you are about to do. Whether that’s scoring a game winner or crossing someone’s ankles, being able to compete with a crowd watching is beyond compare. Unfortunately the bulk of Northview sports teams do not get many people attending their competitions. 

Senior football and baseball player Jalen Gant has seen both sides of this issue.

“Baseball is my main sport and it kind of sucks that nobody comes to our games because it’s fun. Obviously it might not be as fun to actually watch but if a game is close it is still pretty fun,” Gant said.

Now that Gant has learned to harness the energy the crowd gives, it puts him in a positive and focused mindset. When fans are in the stands, Gant’s mentality goes beast mode.  

“There’s no way we can lose [in front of a crowd]. I have to go all out. I don’t think about any bad things, only good stuff. Trying to hype my teammates up and just the mentality that we’re not losing,” Gant said.

Not only does the crowd make him play better, it also makes him feel seen. Being able to look at your friends and family during the game gives comfort allowing him to get in the zone.

“You just know that everyone is watching you and it feels good to have everyone all out and everyone like, ‘Oh wow Jalen, he did so great.’ It’s the best feeling ever. It just brings a lot more energy to the environment,” Gant said.

Senior Carson Palmer has been a part of the student section for all of his high school years and just recently, became the leader of it. He knows that the crowd and the energy they give is important. He understands it isn’t about the actual game and winning or losing but that it’s about students coming together in community.

“Sports are fun to watch and it feels like with basketball and football that is just the trend. People don’t even know what is happening in the game but they go just to hang out with friends,” Palmer said. 

Palmer feels that when students come together to support one another they can feel connected in a way that is hard to put into words.

“I feel like if everyone went to more games and had a good time, everyone would be more in the spirit,” Palmer said.

It is easy to recognize the difference in school spirit on Fridays in the Fall when there is a football game later that night. If that same energy was brought to other sports things would change for the better.

“If everyone went to games and just connected in environments like that the whole environment and sports culture would be way better,” Palmer said.

By going and supporting a friend or classmate in one of their sporting events, you can make a change. Everyone loves to feel seen and there is no better way to do that than attending one of these activities. So go outside your comfort zone and support someone who might not often get that attention they feel they deserve. You might even catch yourself having fun.