When we say that we go to Brown, most people do not follow up with questions about our sports teams. Indeed, prioritizing scholarship and valuing a diverse range of student involvement, rather than being a sports-driven institution, is a distinction that brings most Brunonians pride.
Still, more than one-fifth of students are involved in a varsity or club sport at Brown, and the benefits of athletics have been touted more loudly than ever in the past year, as student-athletes rallied for four teams to maintain varsity status following the Athletics Review Committee's recommendation that they be discontinued.
Some say that the University's diversity and the unique individual pursuits of our students make for a campus environment that is open but infrequently unified — in other words, that we have no school spirit. We do not claim that there is a net lack of engagement or support at Brown — student performances, lectures, Special Events Committee events, conferences, fundraising initiatives and career information sessions are routinely packed. But there is something about the energy and camaraderie of a sports game that they just do not quite replicate.
Despite our tight schedules and diverse interests, a glimmer of spirit shone this year and last when the Football Association and Department of Athletics teamed up to bring in the lights for night games at the Brown Stadium. The stadium was packed, with attendance estimated to be two to nearly three times higher than average. In the last few weeks, the men's soccer team generated excitement with their advancement in the NCAA tournament.
Maybe we non-athlete Brunonians are not so sports-averse after all. It is no secret that games are better for everyone when more fans attend, which is why an occasional push for a key event, like the football night game, is so effective in getting students to turn up — and maybe even to come back.
Adding to the momentum, Brown Sports Marketing's new Bruno mail, "This week in Brown Athletics," is a step forward in keeping the non-athlete student body routinely linked in with what is going on in the world of Brown sports.
Amid the dialogues generated from the Athletics Review Committee's recommendations, the football night games that packed the Brown Stadium once last year and once this year and the new Bruno mail to keep students in the loop with Brown athletics, the presence of athletics in worlds of non-athletes at Brown has grown.
We do not want Brown to be, and it never will be, a sports-driven institution. But an occasional display of school spirit in support of athletics at Brown is a welcome part of our college experience.
Kudos to all those who worked to bring out the lights for football, to Brown Sports Marketing for keeping up the momentum and to the Brown students who show up in support of our athletes. But let's also do a better job of celebrating the talent, commitment and accomplishment of our athletes while generating some Brown pride.
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
