Recently I have been atttending a lot of UNM's sporting events. While watching the games I have notice how many people show up to watch the events, and well its pathetic at how some of our supports have the support of everyone while others have very few fans.
We all know Football and Basketball are the big name sports and are the most popular. But after attending some baseball games, indoor track meets, and tennis matches it is apparent that these sports are hurting for support. Especially when these sports are very popular at the upper world class levels. UNM athletics is having a better than average year in almost every sport at the University but the number of fans turning out to watch is still very low.
The most surprising sport with a lack of a fan base too me is UNM Baseball. This is a sport that is an American past time, and the Lobos even get use the Isotopes park for their home games, which is arguably the best facility in the nation for baseball. The team is even off to a great start at 13 and 3. Tickets for baseball games are even very inexpensive at just five dollars a game.
Other sports are such as track and feild, tennis, soccer and even womens basketball are in the same situation. It is just pathetic to me that when our sports are playing really well in their respective conferences and also at the national level that fans are still not coming out to support the home team. If Albuquerque and the state of New Mexico wants to have a nationally recongized university for athletics than they need to start top show up to these event, games and match's to show they care!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
If they cared, they'd be showing up already. Let's not kid ourselves. I don't care about having a school that is nationally known for athletics - I'd much rather have a school that is nationally known for academics.
ReplyDeleteSo what we have is a well-funded athletic department that fails to generate interest, and a plethora of money-starved academic programs failing to meet current interest. That's good irony. I'll make UNM athletics a deal....... help keep the bus pass program alive, and I'll go see a few baseball games.
I never can understand why both entities in an institution have to be at odds (well, ok, I know the problems in funding cause a bit of a financial war).
ReplyDeleteBut I agree - if Athletics at UNM took a larger interest in providing revenues to other parts of the college community, they would probably recieve more support in return (however, they probably opperate under a deficit, and thus really can't).
However, I don't think UNM is below other institutions in supporting their marquee sports - they just happen to be basketball (both mens and, somewhat uniquely, womens), and to some extent football. At Michigan, sure - swimming is included. At some california schools, it's baseball. But realistically, support doesn't extend everywhere almost anywhere - just the facts (somewhat related, the state of Florida, a hotbed for baseball fans, does not support its own pro teams - go figure).
I totally agree with you. I am willing to say that Tiger Woods is a very very well known athlete. Golf has become popular with players like him, Greg Norman, Camilo Villegas and several other PGA players. For the LPGA there are also a number of young stars. You would think with the UNM Women's golf team being ranked 24th in the nation currently we would have more support. The team hosted the NCAA National Championships last year and the turnout was surprisingly small. Again in the fall we have the annually Dick McGuire and Brach Law Firm tournament. It would be great to have more support. We have a very strong golf team, one of my teammates, Jodi Ewart, is probably the best player to come through UNM. It would be great to have a larger fan base; we love the support on the golf course.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with you that it is sad that alot of sports at UNM don't really have the fan base that other schools in the U.S. have. As an athlete myself it is disappointing to look in empty stands, but then again I don't go to every sporting event I can. I understand that it is hard to make it to games expecially if they are during the week, but I would like to see the stands a little more full.
ReplyDeleteI completly agree with you about having a bigger fan support. I've never seen such a low turn out at sporting events. The only sports that get a high fan turn out rate is football and basketball, like you stated. I just think that not enough advertisment is done on the sports. I am from Houston and I went to a Junior college and we higher turn out rate then most sports here and its a JUNIOR COLLEGE! Most people in New Mexico complain about not having a pro team but in reality one would never survive here. If there was a higher turn out rate it would lead to more wins and higher funds.
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me that after I stated simply that the fan base for other sports other than football and basketball are low, that the first thing that comes to mind for many, on why they don't support these sports, is the finance's of athletics to academics. Well frankly that is just a piss poor way of looking at it. As an athlete myself I know that all of these sports such as baseball, swimming, golf and others excluding basketball and football are often times preforming at higher levels with less or under budgeted budgets. So to those who think that if athletics would give money and funding to academics they would support more teams I think you need to re-do your thinking.
ReplyDeleteSee if you want athletics to support academics more than you need to support us and build a larger fan base so that therefore their is more revenue and more sponsor money than maybe then you will see more funding and support going towards academics until then tho GO SUPPORT THE HOME TEAM! After all its the athlete on the field that wants your support and we really don't care about the financial side we just want to play and WIN!!!!!