As homecoming came and went this year for the University of Tampa, I could not help but wish UT had more school spirit.
I have heard similar sentiments throughout the years from more than a few students. When I turn on the television and see 100,000 people at the University of Alabama’s homecoming football game, I cannot help but feel envious of those students and alumni who come together and exhibit an overwhelming amount of school spirit. However, I understand that comparing UT’s school spirit to Alabama’s is similar to comparing apples to really well funded Division I oranges.
That does not mean that UT should give up on building school spirit. There are things that the UT community could do in order to improve our school spirit into something that we can all be proud of long after we graduate.
One of the best ways for UT to improve school spirit is through athletics. Many students do not realize that we have some of the best Division II sports teams in the country at UT, while we also play against the best competition. However, attendance is usually an issue for many of our sports teams.
In my personal experiences, many of the people who attend sports games at UT do so because they personally know the players. Thus, one of my solutions to improving school spirit is that the students need to get to know the athletes on a personal level. If I were in charge, I would have some athletes table in Vaughn Center sporadically throughout the semester and give other students a chance to meet them on a personal level.
The UT Hockey team has tabled in the past and I even attended a game because I was able to meet some of the players.
I’ll admit that before I started interviewing athletes for The Minaret I had never had any interest in UT athletics. In my time with The Minaret, I have tried to attend as many games as I can because I actually know the players and am interested in their performances.
The Athletic Department does a great job of offering promotions during the games, but in order for students to care about athletics they have to care about the athletes playing.
If we as a UT community can rally around athletics, then our school spirit can become one of the best things about our university.
J.P. Haney is a senior business major from Lexington, Ky. He can be reached at johnpatrick.haney@spartans.ut.edu.
Great article – thanks. Not only does UT have some of the best athletes it also has some of the best facilities. The Pepin Statdium is the best soccer forum in the conference (and probably the state). There are many Division I schools who would be envious of the UT faciltiies. Plus, the soccer teams are great. The women’s soccer team has advanced to the sweet 16 of the NCCA tournament. An I hear the volleyball, baseball and other teams are great too. Go support a UT sport and build your school spirit. You and the the school will benefit. Go Spartans!
Good job bringing up something that’s important. Get your friends to attend the athletic events and start working on it. As a UT alumnus, I try to go to some games.