Don’t waste time on Hoya Football, support Soccer instead

College football in America is a cornerstone of our nation, being nearly as important as the Constitution and Democracy themselves. During the season, millions of fans dedicate a large chunk of their time preparing for College Football game day.

But, this is not the case with Georgetown University.

I was not even aware the university had a football team when I started. The only team I had heard of was their basketball team, which has floundered recently. I knew that Georgetown had a soccer team didn’t know how good they were.

Having spent a few years here, there should be much more support for the soccer team this season, mainly because they are not the football team.

Georgetown Football doesn’t give current or past students any real reason to attend games. According to hoyafootball.com, our football history website, Georgetown’s last winning season was in 1999. Since 1993, we have been in the Division 1AA class, competing alongside undistinguished teams like Austin Peay State University and McNeese State University (I haven’t heard of them either).

We have only competed in three bowl games ever, the Orange Bowl in 1941, the Sun Bowl in 1950, and the ECAC Bowl (What even is that?) in 1997.

If that doesn’t disappoint you, this next fact will: the last Georgetown University football player to play in an NFL was “Big Jim” Ricca in 1949. Sure, there appeared to be a time when Georgetown football didn’t suck, but many decades have past, and it’s time for change.

Whenever I walked past our field during games, there appeared to be more visiting fans than Georgetown University fans, and I kind of feel sorry for our players. My high school has a historically great football team, one in which over 3,000 people attended during our biggest games. The energy and enthusiasm isn’t quite matched here.

During our own parent’s weekend game last year, my dad and I had to leave after halftime because the game was not only incredibly uneventful, but we were losing poorly. Overall, the worst fact is that the university annually funds such an irrelevant sports program which possess little hope, or for future advancement.

The men’s soccer team, however, is much more relevant, dare I say quite good, actually. Our recent history explains why. According to bigeast.com, last year, Georgetown went 16-2-3 overall and 9-0-0 in conference play, which led to our first ever Big East Championship title.

Similarly impressive, Keegan Rosenberry, a current Philadelphia Union player, was drafted third overall in the 2016 MLS Superdraft out of Georgetown. This has only improved things for the soccer team.

Georgetown men’s soccer was ranked 10^th coming into the season by NSCAA, showing national interest in our program. Although there has been some disappointing play this season, Georgetown remains competitive in the most popular sport in the world.

Personally, I can vouch to the importance of the soccer team. The fast-paced competition exudes action. Because there are no timeouts, the flow of the game is smoother and more conducive to paying attention. The few games that I have gone to have been averagely attended, despite our dominance last season and talent this season.

Are my assessments biased? Probably. But I watch football far more than soccer. One of my best memories was from front-row seats at a Notre Dame football game that went into triple overtime. I proudly remember attending the momentous football games that brought thousands to a stadium.

I rarely spend time watching professional let alone college soccer, despite playing for over ten years. While soccer is close to my heart since I played it for so long, football is much more thrilling to watch.

I would love a renowned football program with top-tier athletes and playoff appearances, but sadly, this is not the case. I am jealous of those whose college experience is flavored with extraordinary college football occasions. But, we have to work with our resources, and that is definitely with soccer, not football.