Supporting Our Sports

Both men’s and women’s basketball teams will be playing in the Sweet 16 this weekend, and the Duke community is naturally proud and excited. However, the enthusiasm seems to be somewhat one-sided towards the men’s team. Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek’s email this Sunday advertised the ticket lottery for the men’s game but failed to advertise one for the women’s Sweet Sixteen game. While this may be due to funding constraints or ticket availability, the email still failed altogether to mention the women’s victory earlier that day. We believe the difference in following is symptomatic of a disproportionate emphasis by students on mainstream sports like men’s basketball and football to the detriment of less popular sports, some of which have an equally long tradition of success.

Attendance has long been a metric for observing this asymmetry. While men’s basketball and football consistently draw crowds, even from beyond the more invested undergraduate community, many sports struggle for spectators. This is not to say efforts of administration, the Athletics Department and student organizations aimed at correcting this discrepancy have not helped. In UNC tenting seasons with more students vying for spots, black tents are powerfully incentivized to attend a variety of sports events, including tennis matches, swim meets and fencing competitions. Similarly, the student-run Inferno program is aided by Duke Student Government and Athletics students attending a variety of events to gain points, which can then be exchanged for prizes. And when implemented, these sorts of incentives are not forced or artificial. Attendees typically enjoy the events and have no regrets about going, even if they would otherwise not have attended. In fact, attending a sports event for the first time is a novel experience to discover the rules and dynamics of a sport, making it all the more interesting. Organizational efforts are invaluable in overcoming the hurdle of hesitation that otherwise sees students staying at home.

Yet certain sports receive a disproportionate amount of attention because of a sense of identification and belonging. Sometimes it is just fun to follow “your” team. Of course, it is impossible to truly identify with a dozen teams of various sports when you have clear preferences, but there is still value through incentives for you and in showing support for our student athletes. One can attend less popular events for the purpose of supporting hallmates who are athletes, making an outing of it with friends and discovering a new sport without necessarily committing to “following” it.

Beyond college athletics, some are simply fans of professional sports with many close allegiances to tennis players or soccer teams. Even though collegiate athletics will never offer professional level play, everybody interested in professional sports should be minimally interested in a sport’s intrinsic dynamics and strategy. Although we cannot bring the Patriots or Roger Federer to Duke, their sports are played by Duke teams, and at Duke we are privileged to have those sports free and available for our viewing in person—an opportunity not always available for your favorite European national team.