Taking stock of university athletics in Canada

Posted by Cameron Stuerle on Sep 26, 2011 in Sports | 0 comments

I firmly believe that participation in sports and attending athletic events are an essential part of the university experience no matter where you go to school. That’s why I almost followed my dream out of high school to attend the University of Oregon until I chose Trinity Western University. As a result I felt somewhat disappointed because university athletics matters to me and there is simply no comparison between collegiate sports in Canada and the United States.

But, does it have to be that way? The magnitude of college athletics is a mindset that varies from student to student and from school to school. If you have ever attended a football or basketball game at a major American school you would know exactly what I am talking about. Americans have a different approach to sports; it is more engrained into their university culture. That is why the University of Michigan can put over 112,000 people into their football stadium every Saturday. Athletics doesn’t matter everywhere in the states; after all tickets to the Kent State vs. Bowling Green game aren’t exactly in high demand.

There are the low level schools in Canada where almost no one cares (few things are more depressing than being one of only twenty people at a University of thr Fraser Valley game). Trinity Western University games are fairly well attended but not always. Even massive schools like the University of British Colombia fill their venues to barely half-capacity.

There was a time when I was convinced collegiate sports would never truly matter in Canada. After all there were less than one hundred people in the stands for a National Gold Medal Basketball game with the telecast on a two-hour tape delay. Then it all changed for me last March when TWU hosted the men’s volleyball Nationals. All weekend it was the only thing anyone talked about. The Langley Events Center was packed for every game with the student section standing room only and everyone dressed in blue and yellow. To me, this was the culmination of what I had been searching for. I finally had a chance to storm a court (waited my whole life for that and did it twice that weekend) and I really felt like sports mattered on campus.

There will not be a national tournament on campus every weekend and as such, games will not be treated the same way it was last March. However, I think we can come close. Athletic events are a great social endeavour. They are a wonderful way to connect with people from all over the student body; rarely in fact will you get as many people both on and off campus and both undergrad and graduate students all in one place hoping for the same thing: a Spartan victory.

Just remember that while crowd noise and home field, court, or ice advantage matters, that advantage isn’t nearly as helpful without fans.
Just remember that the team need you. Spend a few bucks and some of your time to support your team; you won’t regret it.

Cameron Stuerle