Published 2007-12-04T00:00:00Z”/>

Ben Burg

When I hear the term school pride, I think about a student’s appreciation for his or her campus, academics and especially sports. Here at Chico we may have school pride, but it doesn’t seem to cross over into sports.

Since becoming a sports writer I’ve gone to a lot more games than I did before. I’ve noticed that students don’t show up in great or even modest numbers.

Now I know that Chico State doesn’t have football or the nicest facilities, but we are a Division II school, so I think a little leeway should be allowed.

At the volleyball team’s season finale a couple of weeks ago, the Wildcats played Cal State San Bernardino, one of the best teams in the country, and about 330 people showed up to the game.

In a game earlier in the season against Cal State Monterey Bay, which finished seventh in the conference, more than 450 people showed up.

Chico State sports weren’t always lacking a student fan base. Our football team, which died in the ’90s, used to attract large gatherings of young academic folk.

But Don Batie, former head soccer coach and kinesiology professor, said even football lost its spark when it was still around.

This apparently resulted from a rule that prohibited the possession of certain mind-altering and liver-damaging liquids while in attendance at sports games.

The very next game after the rule was set down, attendance was down 90 percent, Batie said.

True, tasty beverages can add to the excitement of men bashing each other for one hour, but I find it sad that students think they can’t enjoy sports without drinks.

How many of you know that Chico State used to have a boxing team? That’s right, and Acker Gym would be filled to the brim with students during the matches. One thing that makes sporting events exciting is the energy from the crowd, but you only seem to get that at a big basketball game.

But it’s unfair to completely blame the students.

Some of the staff at Chico played a part as well, Batie said.

Have you seen the big Wildcat symbol on the silo behind Yolo Hall? It took Batie months to get the school to agree to put it up, he said.

But trees were planted in front of the silo and they are now close to blocking the cardinal Wildcat.

I know the campus is known to be an arboretum because of its numerous tree diversity, but it would be nice to see the Wildcat symbol surrounded by the trees instead of blocked by them.

So for those out there who do have Chico State spirit, show it by going to sporting events and supporting your fellow students’ achievements.

This was quite a semester for sports, for those who didn’t pay attention. We had four teams make it to playoffs and a cross-country runner who went to Japan to represent the United States. Not too shabby, right?

Like I said, not only the athletes make the games fun, but the fans, too. So if you truly love your college, go out and support it in all aspects, including sports.

By the way, the games are free.

Ben Burg can be reached at <a href= “mailto:[email protected]”>[email protected]</a>