School Spirit Beyond 'The Game'

Harvard football will be in the national spotlight this weekend as ESPN’s College GameDay broadcasts from Philadelphia—highlighting the Harvard-Penn game. The game will decide the Ivy League champion. But while ESPN will be there, Harvard undergraduates will not.

Those who have attended any of Harvard football’s games this year have probably noticed that the student section has been sparsely populated and that those in attendance are generally lacking in enthusiasm.

While this may be the norm at Harvard, it was certainly a shock for me. After spending four years of high school attending University of Michigan football games, I had an expectation of what the “student section” at games should look, sound and smell like. A college football game meant crowds of students in insignia apparel standing up to watch the crucial moments, constant cheering, the ringing of keys and the smell of sweat and alcohol permeating the air. A typical Harvard game attracts a sprinkling of undergrads in H-Club t-shirts, clumps of inattentive student spectators engaged in side-conversations and the sporadic patter of polite clapping. The students who are vocal in their support for the Crimson are few and far between.

I recognize that most students would rather spend the three hours of game time in other activities. Some people just don’t look forward to getting up before mid-afternoon on Saturday and venturing into the unreliable weather to watch football. They don’t look forward to it, of course, until the Harvard-Yale game rolls around. Many a fan who would never be seen on the Harvard stadium side of the Charles will pour out for The Game. Granted, Harvard and Yale have a rivalry, but it is the atmosphere that the rivalry creates that makes the difference between The Game and the rest of the Harvard lineup.

When the stadium is decked out in Crimson colors and everyone is yelling together, the game becomes fun for all attendees. It is this spirit that students must bring to all of Harvard’s football games.

At Michigan, certain traditions make being a fan an active experience—every time the opposing team is facing a third down, for example, all the Michigan students shake their keys, signifying a “key play” for the defense. Harvard must create traditions of its own. While we yell “Safety School” and “Yuck Fale” at the Elis, we need traditions that will get fans involved throughout the entire season.

This is not simply a plea to attend more sporting events—it is a call for students to change how we approach school spirit. Going to a football game is more than just sitting in the stands having a conversation with the person next to you.

While the football season is coming to an end, there are still many sports that could use the help of truly spirited students. The pride that stems from the Harvard-Yale Game must continue through the year.

If some of us create this new spectator environment, maybe other students will come out more than once a year to join in the excitement and consequently bring the Harvard community closer together. For those who want to try, here’s a simple start: if you can’t make it to Philadelphia tomorrow, find a TV with cable, gather all your friends and watch your fair Harvard hit the national scene.