December 5, 2017
Joy Webb
Friday-night lights and fans cheering for their school football team has never been a tradition at UCCS, but students should view this as a positive aspect of the university.
UCCS is not lacking in the athletic department; with 14 athletic teams on campus, students can show their support and enthusiasm without football.
Students should support the athletic teams that we do have at UCCS already as they make program history, such as women’s soccer at the semi-national championships.
The university is growing immensely. This year, 12,422 students enrolled at UCCS, a jump of 405 students since 2016. Funds are going towards educational matters, such as the new Ent Center for the Arts. The cost of a football team would be a dramatic increase in necessary funds to keep it afloat.
According to Business Insider, Ohio State University, a Division I school in athletics, spends an average of $34,373,844 a year on their football team. Even though UCCS is a Division II school, this puts into an additional football team’s cost into perspective.
Football is a “cash cow capable of subsidizing less remunerative sports,” according to The Atlantic. Equipment, traveling, scholarships and other expenses must be funded substantially for a football team.
With a lack of a team, there are more funds that can go towards the sports that the university does offer, as well as academics, which should be of the utmost importance.
“Since we don’t have a football team we got the funds for the indoor track and scholarships are higher because we are fully funded,” said freshman sprinter Michaela Moore of the women’s track team.
Not only that, but students can be negatively or positively impacted by the sport on campus. When football players saw certain results of their games, their grades were impacted, according to a study conducted by Oregon State University referenced by The Atlantic:
“The results weren’t pretty. When Oregon won more, men’s grades dropped relative to women’s. When they lost, men’s grades recovered. In a survey that accompanied their grade analysis, 28 percent of male students reported drinking more when a team won. About 20 percent of women said the same.”
For those who still see a lack of a football team, they have options to get involved.
CU Boulder, UCCS’ sister school, has a Division One football team, and while this is an hour drive, it is common for students to drive down to Boulder if they really want to watch a live football game.
Many students also attend the Air Force Academy football games, since they are here in Colorado Springs.
Students can still enjoy the social aspect of attending a sports game, such as going to watch our UCCS men’s and women’s basketball teams compete. They are currently in season and their games allow free admission to all students.
Attending a UCCS baseball, softball, or soccer game has the same outdoor sports dynamic that football does, and is just as enjoyable to watch and attend with other students.
The absence of a football team here at UCCS can be viewed as a negative or a positive, but when considering how it benefits the rest of the student and athlete population, it is more positive than negative.
Life goes on without a football team.