Imagine a roaring crowd of 12,000 people strong at the Murdock Stadium, all cheering for our Warriors.
Now face the reality: it doesn’t even come close to being filled come the night of a big football game. Why is it that we don’t hear people in the hallways excited for the football game that Friday night? Why is it that we don’t see students with blue and white face paint the day of a big game? Lack of Warrior pride seems to be common on this campus.
“Community colleges don’t have the marketing power that a major college would have,” Tony Barbone, athletic director, said. “Our student’s time here is dispensable and their time is minimal.”
Most students here are in preparation to transfer to a 4-year university. Time for a majority of EC’s students can be scarce, many have jobs, are taking 12 units and many are parents, Barbone said.
The football team is the only sporting event on campus that is not free of charge but has the most people in attendance, compared to the other sporting events on campus.
“The fan base for our football team has the biggest turn out, but I believe that is because there are 85-100 players on the team which in result brings in more friends and family members,” Barbone said.
Students here at EC spend minimal extra time on campus and don’t bother to attend the sporting events EC has to offer.
“I have never gone to any of the sporting events here on campus,” Ryan Tilgren, 23, sociology major said. “It would be like you are getting emotionally attached to a stepping stone, my goal here is to transfer and that’s it.”
For some students finding the time and transportation can be difficult.
“Aside from being a full time student, I also work full time,” Anna Cruz, 21, psychology major, said. “Finding the time to make it back on campus for a sporting event would be difficult for me, especially since I don’t have a car.”
School pride is an active part of your 4-year experience in high school, but that seems to change once you graduate and move on to a community college.
“In high school, not all students were working with a full schedule or had families to take care of, but it’s a different demographic here,” Barbone said.
Compared to other colleges such has UCLA, their school pride is opposite to the school pride found at EC.
“EC is a commuter school, there is no dorm life where you can just walk over to the stadium and walk back to your room,” Barbone said.
EC offers a wide variety of athletic programs and the students that are a part of them feel that it enhances their experience at EC regardless of the fan base.
Atlee Schwab, 20, undecided, has played for the baseball team for one year and it planning to continue next year.
“This has been such an awesome experience, we are like a family,” Schwab said. “We do have dedicated fans that come to our games but it’s usually when we play Harbor that we get a bigger outcome.”
The lack of school spirit can be because the team here at EC changes every year, different people come in and out, compared to a 4-year college where the team is more consistent, Schwab said.
“Regardless that we are at a community college you should always represent your school and have pride, like that Beach Boys song, “Be true to your school” you should be true to EC,” Barbone said.
