Wait, NYU Athletics is a thing?
Yes. Yes it is
When you think of NYU, what do you think of?
You wouldn’t say NYU varsity athletics is the first thing that comes to mind.
There are so many different types of people at NYU who are interested in a variety of different clubs, hobbies and majors but these interests are usually never associated with on-campus sports.
One of the problems with athletics at NYU is not all of the teams compete on campus. The baseball team plays at MCU Park in the far reaches of Coney Island, while the soccer team plays at Gaelic Park.
Varsity baseball team practising at MCU Park in Coney Island
Kylie McManus, a Freshman at Gallatin, said: “I think we have good sports, but obviously we can’t have as many as other schools because of location.”
This is a big misconception because NYU offers as many athletic opportunities as other schools, if not more at 23. But we’re not exposed to them because of the urban, decentralized campus.
It’s also hard to organize times for us to travel around New York to watch our teams play. What makes doing so even harder is when students like Logan McQuade, a soccer fan and Music Business major at Steinhardt, doesn’t “even know where the soccer field is.”
Albert Change, a Freshman Economics major at CAS, adds: “NYU is not a school known for its athletics. Our student body doesn’t actively care about athletics.”
This just might be the case — it seems NYU will never have a huge athletic backing.
Inside of Coles Sports Center, where the varsity basketball team is practicing
There is good news though: NYU is trying to provide its varsity teams with more exposure via social media. They have various Instagram and Twitter accounts backing athletics and athletes.
An optimistic student, Zubin Kirpalani, another Music Business major at Steinhardt, thinks “athletics are becoming more prominent at NYU by the year and there is more awareness” of who the athletes actually are, because of their social media.
It all comes down to whether students at NYU are willing to express a sense of camaraderie, not just academically and socially, but also by emotionally investing in our school’s varsity athletic program.