By Frank Cannistra
The University of Tampa is far from a powerhouse in the world of athletics. Despite consistently producing success on the field and fun, modern facilities to host events, not many students flock to see the Spartans play. A recent modernization of the UT athletic website has some speculating that the university may be prioritizing an increase in student engagement at sporting events.
Not that the Spartans’ athletics website was subpar prior to the new updated site, but to say that this new version is an improvement would be an understatement. New features to the website include a “Fan Zone,” visual representation of accolades and success, and an increase in resources for NIL and recruiting needs. While some of these features did exist in the previous edition of the website, they’re much more prevalent and eye-catching now.
The Fan Zone leads students or other interested parties to a composite schedule, a clear and concise map of all the happenings in the Spartan sports world. It also now features directions to all areas of the UT campus and ways for fans to stream the games should they want to watch from home. The Fan Zone also now features Live Stats, a helpful tool to those tracking individual player statistics, or those trying to understand the happenings in a game going on live. This new addition to the website shows the university’s newfound desire to increase student engagement from what was originally a stagnant sense of school spirit around campus.
My personal favorite new addition is an active counter of the school’s athletic accolades and awards. As fans click onto the website, they’re greeted to numbers visually rising up, showing things like national championships, conference championships, all-americans and more. To me, this is an incredibly important aspect to the new website as, even I, a senior here at the university, had no idea how much success Tampa has had athletically in the past. It actually inspired me to go back and read up on the stories of the 20-plus national championship victories I didn’t know we had. Things like this will inspire students to cheer on their fellow Spartans, and make their mark on history.
As I became more interested in the school’s athletic history, I was delighted to find a new “Traditions” tab conveniently located at the top of the screen. As I scrolled through, I was shown everything I could’ve hoped to find. If you’re looking to learn about UT’s national championship history, the site is loaded with any and all information you could wish to find, from pictures to stats to rosters. Scrolling through and looking at all this impressive history gave me a sense of school pride I hadn’t ever truly felt in terms of athletics. Other features in this tab include inside looks at the University of Tampa’s Hall of Fame inductees, former All-Americans, award recipients, olympic accolades, and general UT knowledge. It’s an awesome feature that I can’t wait to dive deeper into.
Overall, our school still isn’t known for sporting greatness, and students have a long way to go in terms of being considered a passionate fanbase. However, these new changes to the website are great steps in the right direction towards making sports on campus an exciting proposition, a change that would benefit both the university and its students.