For some people, this article may seem silly — why wouldn’t you go to sporting events? You get to mingle with a lot of people, eat good food, and watch your school's team play! But at colleges where sports don’t draw as big of a fan base, it can be hard to get the motivation to get out there and support your team, no matter what sport. Regardless of your school and the sports following it has, you should get out to the sporting events.

First of all, sports are entertaining! Schools put so much hype into sporting events, so it’s cool to go see a team play a fun sport (football, baseball, or my favorite: swimming) while also hearing the cheers of the crowd and the excitement of the announcers. Some schools also have incentives to get kids to go to events. Rice’s basketball team did a great job last year with providing free food and T-shirts at games to get students to come — and it worked! It was a win-win situation: Students got to see a good game and get a free shirt, and the basketball team got extra hype from the student section!

Second, it’s fun to see fellow classmates perform. School is hard, but I can imagine it’s quite difficult handling both school and a rigorous practice schedule to compete in college athletics. Support their hard work by showing up to games/meets. If you already have friends who are athletes at your school, go to their events to cheer for them. If you don’t have any athlete friends, make one! There are probably athletes in your classes, so introduce yourself and ask them when their games are. Everyone appreciates a fan, no matter if it’s in sports, extracurriculars, etc.

Third, no matter how impressive your school is academically, sports help get its name out there even more. The majority of Americans love sports, so if your teams (especially football, which we all seem to go crazy about) are doing well, then more people around the country will be familiar with your university. This can lead to increased alumni support in the form of donations, an increase in applications to your school, and an increased general knowledge about your college. Doesn’t everyone want this?

All in all, take a few minutes (maybe hours) out of a Friday or Saturday and go see your university’s teams perform. It is sure to get you excited about being at your school, and is a fun way to spend the evening/afternoon with friends and fellow classmates. Support your school and support your sports teams!