When students go to a boy’s varsity basketball game, they will expect to see the bleachers filled to the top and made up of parents and the Northview student section. This student section is students who come to cheer on the teams and motivate them throughout the game. The disappointing factor of this is that one would find the bleachers of the girls basketball student section almost empty.
I believe that the girls varsity basketball team needs the power of a student section. At the girl’s games, one mostly sees parents supporting their kids, and a few friends coming to encourage and watch a game. This needs to change. Not only does the school need to show school spirit for all teams, but the players need to feel it.
It seems here at Northview that boys basketball is popular, we should have it as basketball as a whole is popular. The girls team is making an impact this year and it’s barely being acknowledged. They have a 4-4 record, which is the best record they’ve had for two years.
The student section page on Instagram does a good job of communicating when most games will be and where they will be at. But for the past month, most of what they’ve been posting is the boys varsity basketball games. When the girls do get the awareness of Instagram, it’s only a heads-up on an upcoming game. Meanwhile, the boys receive a post featuring an individual player with their name, number, and the next coming game, a few stories on the game, and after the game a new post on the score of the game. You can see the difference in the topic at hand.
“I feel [the student section page] needs to post when we have game days, to know we’re playing,” junior and girls varsity basketball player, Kaylee Jangda, said. “We play some nights as the boys too, so having that out there more [is important].”
I believe that we have a strong girl’s basketball program that would love to be recognized on social media. If we had more posts and content on Instagram, students would be more involved in supporting different sports. The community would see the promotion of the sport and future games and would be intrigued to cheer them on.
Northview has a remarkable boy’s varsity basketball team, but this doesn’t mean any less of girls basketball. The program and players put in the work and the dedication to eventually be number one, and they are worthy to celebrate.
Girls varsity basketball head coach, Sarah Snyder, notices the difference in attendance. She sees students go to boys games and don’t bother to come to girls games.
“We have [away] games, [when] the boys don’t have a game, I’m pretty sure there is not going to be a student section [at those],” Snyder said. “If the roles were reversed and the [boys] game was away, I’m sure there would be a student section.”
Showing up to support your fellow classmates can benefit a game and influence the mentality of the players. Being there as a friend can show empathy for the players. As an athlete, I know that showing up to support the thing they have worked on means a lot personally to the player. When friends or family show up to my sporting events, I want to work hard and win that game or event for them. Knowing that you do care can strengthen the mind of a player and push them to have a better game. And a better game can be better for the school in general.
The girls varsity basketball team deserves more recognition. Attending an hour-and-a-half game is not that hard, and putting in some school spirit can go a long way, especially for the players.
Good article Erica! I agree, The instagram needs to promote and cover the girls games as well! Keep up the good work ladies !