There’s a reason people don’t go to the football games
‘You want me to walk WHERE?’
If you’ve been enrolled at the University of Delaware for more than a semester, you’re well-aware no one attends the Delaware Football games. Unlike other schools like Maryland or Penn State whose schools rally around their team throughout the fall semester, Delaware’s student body is nowhere to be found.
It’s a fair assessment to say we simply have not been good in recent years, going 7-5, 6-6 and 4-7, but to some schools that would be irrelevant. You could point out unlike some of those powerhouse schools Delaware plays in the CAA, a step below the Big 10.
I believe our problems stem from two main sources: distance and a lack of tailgating.
My first of two UD football games — I never went back
The Delaware Stadium is located on South Campus which is a little over a mile away from Harrington Turf, where most of the freshmen body live, and over two and a half miles from North Campus and the Tours. It’s too far to walk to the game without serious perseverance, there is a bus route on game day, but for a student body of 17,000 it simply isn’t enough.
I refuse to walk 2 miles and not be able to drink
But why would UD refuse to allow tailgating, even for those over 21?
The Inter-Fraternity Council even applied to lift the current ban this past fall, but was denied. At a school notorious for enjoying the warm weather each Saturday, this is crippling to the chance that older students attend the games.
I understand why our school is against tailgating at the Stadium for the obvious reasons of image and their stance against public drinking, but is it worth it to disengage the student body with our sports programs? Are there other ways to fix this problem that doesn’t include allowing copious amounts of drinking to occur in the vicinity of the stadium?
After talking to a member of IFC I realize there are plenty of ways to get this straightened out.
What we do instead of football Saturday
The approach is simple, offer more incentives. Similar to bigger sports programs that shoot t-shirts into the crowd, this IFC member gave the example of having one-dollar hot dog games or free Chick-fil-A at halftime or to those who stay the entirety of the game. So many students would come out to the games for free food and more importantly, keep them there.
Another solution involves having more active participation. If the team was broadcasted across the school and we were familiar with them, maybe we would go. I honestly could not name a single player on the football team right now, but if more banners and promotions were placed around the school emphasizing the athletes it might make it more appealing.
The distance and tailgating are the main issues keeping students away from football Saturdays. I do believe our school can take certain measures to attract more students.
Football games can make for some great college experiences. Why wouldn’t UDel want us to have that?