Along with homemade stuffing, pumpkin pie and painfully
awkward family moments, college football has truly become a staple part of the
Blunschi holidays. Unfortunately, I always feel a bit left out, seeing as how
my dear college is a bit lacking in the football team department. With an uncle
who graduated from Ohio State University and two proud Trojan siblings, family
members often belittle my beloved university
when they rhetorically ask: “Why doesn’t UCSD just get a football team
already?”
I never really gave this idea much thought. UCSD has long
been considered a world-renowned research institution. We rival some of the
nation’s finest universities with our competitive programs and scientific breakthroughs.
I guess I’ve always assumed that UCSD should simply focus on what it does best,
instead of trying to hype up our lowly Division-II athletics program.
I can’t say that I’m a huge sports fanatic — in all honesty,
I know next to nothing about football despite my siblings’ constant efforts to
edify me. However, after attending a few USC games over the years, I must admit
that I do feel envious of USC’s football team and all that it brings to their
college atmosphere. It’s enough to make me wonder if UCSD might be able to
sport a football team of its own one day.
Granted, a football team would be expensive. Taking into
account the cost of constructing a stadium, hiring and paying a coach and
eventually providing scholarships for athletes, the Triton football team has
quite a beefy price tag.
Additionally, money won’t ensure that our football team
would be any good. Because UCSD has never been big on athletics, it’s easy to
understand why these factors alone would keep the campus focused on research
and deter anyone from the very idea of throwing away money on a second-rate
football team.
On the other hand, a football team, in time, might be
exactly what UCSD needs to transform into the well-rounded university for which
students long. It could mean creating a better sense of community and school
spirit, a greater degree of interest, involvement and contributions from
alumni, and the possibility of building UCSD’s national profile.
Along with stronger name recognition, we could expect an
increase in the quantity and diversity of UCSD applicants as well if we
successfully accomplish this project. These benefits should make our
institution think twice before it scraps the idea entirely.
There’s no doubt that UCSD comes up short in terms of social
activities and school spirit. The efforts of Triton Tide don’t go completely
unseen, but unfortunately for them, UCSD students put academics before
everything else — school is our number-one priority (and it sometimes spills
over to our number-two and number-three slots as well).
Students aren’t out at basketball tournaments or water polo
games rooting for the home team; in fact, they’re all right here in Geisel with
me as I’m writing this article (it took me a good 10 minutes to find an empty
outlet for my laptop). Though the fact that most of us study in the library
during our free time probably thrills our parents, it’s probably not what’s
best for students in the long run.
Students need a balanced college experience. Studying and
doing well in school is important, but it shouldn’t overpower our physical and
social well-being.
Even Harvard and Princeton seem to find the time to enjoy
college football, and they’re some of the most competitive and prestigious
schools in the country. USC is another example of a fine academic institution
where sports enhance the college experience without affecting the educational
aspects of student life. Why can’t UCSD do the same?
Our hypothetical football team doesn’t have to be in the
Rose Bowl during its inaugural years in order to have an effect on school
spirit and a sense of community — its mere existence could have a tremendous
effect on the student body.
Plenty of other schools have terrible football teams, but
still enjoy college team rivalries and the experience of staying up late to
come up with witty signs or plans of decorating their bodies in their school
colors. Yeah, it’s a bit ridiculous, but it’s something that alumni will
remember and look back on fondly for years to come. I can’t necessarily say the
same is true for my late -night study sessions on the sixth floor of the
library.
Aside from forcing UCSD students to interact with each other
and get a wholesome college experience, creating a football team could pay for
itself if we execute it in the right way. If we can garner enough support and
funding (through student fees, fundraising programs and donations) to develop a
football team and UCSD responds positively, ticket sales and alumni donations
could compensate for the costs of running a team. Historically, UCSD’s alumni
giving rate has consistently fallen far below that of UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC
Irvine, UC Davis and many other neighboring California institutions that rank
far below UCSD academically. Is it a coincidence that most of these schools
have better athletics programs than UCSD?
Alumni love sporting events — especially football. It gives
them a reason to come back to their alma mater and interact with the fresh
faces of the university.
The idea of creating a UCSD football team could definitely
help reduce the current alumni apathy and help our university to engage alumni
in our campus community. Their potentially generous donations wouldn’t hurt
UCSD either — but those donations won’t be coming in any time soon if we
continue the status quo.
Another important advantage of a football team is the name
recognition and strength of UCSD’s national profile.
College football games are one of the primary ways that
people hear more about universities across the country. Chances are, a great
deal of the East Coast’s high school students have never heard of UCSD. And if
they have, it’s likely that they have us confused for one of our other neighboring
San Diego colleges, both of which do have football teams.
By giving us greater recognition, a football team could
certainly woo many out-of-state applicants just by letting them know that our
school exists. This could result in a more diverse and competitive applicant
pool, strengthening our admissions and boosting our reputation as a university.
While I doubt the Triton football team will appear on campus
any time soon, I remain hopeful that the campus maintains some hope of
launching a team sometime in the not-too-distant future.
Perhaps then UCSD can become an even greater university, and
maybe my football-fanatical family will stop harassing me, too.
