I am a senior athlete and just want to address my opinions about the school spirit, or the lack thereof, that is seemingly obvious here at Colorado Mesa University. As athletes we live and breathe the sport and lifestyle.

This is a choice and when we are shown gratitude from our follow students it can often mean the most. The support we get from students, professors and administration is sometimes the one thing that pushes us to do what we do.  

I have talked about the sacrifices we make in a previous opinion article for the Criterion but I want to reiterate that it is not easy. Being a student athlete is not for everyone.  We work hard and finding a balance between our academics and sport is tough. For most athletes, there is no future in the sport so sometimes it is nice to be recognized for the hard work.

I am not talking about being treated differently or being given special privileges, however, when we look up in the stands and see our school, it gives you a warm feeling. A feeling of what we do for our school matters and that people notice. Come have fun and show the school spirit we all know CMU can have.

With that being said, for a school with over 11,000 students I feel as if the almost all the sports at our school don’t get enough support or attendance at actual events. Yeah, the homecoming football game gets large student attendance, but for regular season games the support is weak.

Most of the sports have home games or events but I seldom see “enough” students there. CMU has 11,000 students which is pretty big for a division two state school but I don’t see the number of students I would expect attending sporting events.

There are 29 varsity sports, so there are plenty of opportunities for students to show their school spirit. The Herd is a great way for students to socialize and get some school spirit.

I know us college students are busy, but too busy to go on a Saturday night at 6 p.m. to attend a volleyball or basketball game. Or even a Sunday morning at 11 a.m. to support our soccer teams.

I feel as if regular students can’t put an hour or two of their time towards attending events and having fun. Hold off on the weekend parties for an hour. Get yourself out there, and support your fellow classmates.

Going to football, basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball and many other sporting events is a big part of the college lifestyle for other universities, so why not us?

CMU sports teams thrive every season and every year. Numerous RMAC championships and national appearances have occurred over the past few years.

I am not saying that there is no spirit or support, instead I want to remind students that athletic events are fun. They are a great way to socialize and get know other students, plus you can drink a few beers and scream your head off which is needed sometimes.

As athletes we appreciate the support that we do get and are thankful for it. It feels good when someone you don’t know asks about how the team is doing, or just a simple “congratulations on your win” feels good too.