Sports aren’t for everybody; that’s obvious, it’s nothing new. I live in a household where half of the people don’t care or know much about sports at all, and that’s fine. But — the lack of attendance at Illinois sporting events disappoints me, and it does make a difference in the performance of the team.

Except for men’s basketball, the Illini have an attendance issue — and in no sport is that more evident than in football. Sure, the football program had a historic season ticket campaign, with its highest number of season ticket purchases in over a decade.

However, in 2022, the attendance for football games was near the bottom of the Big Ten, and while it’s hard to rank high in a conference that has ridiculously large stadiums, it’s upsetting to see a program that does have a solid history lack attendees.

In a stadium that seats roughly 60,000, the Illini never saw more than 54,205 in a home game in 2023. That number seems low, even considering that the student section was bare multiple times during the games. I get it, the team wasn’t playing particularly well, but what better way to give your team a home-field advantage than actually being at the games and staying?

Sure, it’s cold, and you may not like sports, but it’s clear coming from me that I love sports. They’re my passion and greatest joy. There’s nothing like going to a sporting event at the college you pay to attend. You meet so many people and become part of a family.

Professional sports are nothing like college because they’re not always as ingrained in your mind as collegiate teams. I grew up a diehard Illini fan — not because I’m from Illinois — but because my parents went there and for my entire life I represented the orange and blue with a Block I hat.

The tailgates before Illinois football games were some of my favorite things to walk by as I went to games during my first year in Champaign-Urbana in 2022, and it remained that way as I drove to the media parking lot this past season. Talking to players, they love it when fans show up. It means the world to them.

Players also play better when fans show up. I do not doubt in my mind that it’s true. It’s hard to compete with the attendance of Michigan or Alabama because those are fandoms with even more historic success, and in the case of Alabama, the Crimson Tide is a cultural thing in the South. But there’s no reason that Illinois shouldn’t have attendance.

Men’s basketball is probably the most popular sport on campus, based on its success in recent years and the sheer number of people talking about the team daily. Games at the State Farm Center are personally some of my favorite sporting experiences in person — and I’ve been to a playoff baseball game at Wrigley Field, the epic Bills-Chiefs divisional round game in 2022 and countless other sporting events.

However, this does not just apply to men’s basketball and football. There are a plethora of other sporting events that happen on campus. The women’s volleyball team is a joy to watch and I encourage fans to go to more games. The energy in Huff Hall is unlike anything you’ll experience. It’s a historic place, and while it certainly has shortcomings, its charm is unlike any venue on campus. Almost all of my most fond memories on campus have come from attending a sporting event.

I think the best way to increase attendance is to incentivize it, even if deep down I dislike the idea of “blackmailing” people to support their team. It was attempted this year, as students who bought season tickets for football games were first in line for basketball season tickets. Speaking of basketball, the women’s basketball team experienced its best season in 20 years, getting to the NCAA tournament’s First Four, and I believe the attendance helped to a point.

2022-23 was the No. 5 all-time in program history for attendance, and it made sense. The team was playing well early and fans started to show up, especially as tickets became free for students with an ID card. Encouraging fans to go will increase attendance, and what better way to encourage attendance than by having free entry?

So, I guess this is all to say: Attend games! They’re fun and the memories you make last a lifetime — and, for the most part, you have four years of college. Get out there and support your school and fellow students. They will appreciate it, and those athletes deserve our support because they put in more work than imaginable, and the appreciation they show is clear in media availability and in how they carry themselves around campus.

@arrosen76

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