Sophomore chemical engineering major
Last weekend was the first time I truly felt as though I went to a Big Ten school. The atmosphere was vibrant with Terps pageantry and passion. A sea of red swarmed the campus with a desire to prove to critics that we are here and we are ready to dominate the Big Ten. A truly picturesque moment and only fitting against one of the Big Ten’s most iconic schools — Ohio State.
Unfortunately, game days like this are rare for this university, which is a shame. Unlike most Big Ten schools, where college football is a culture that brings with it an eclectic mix of traditions and history, we are still trying to develop our own identity in the Big Ten.
Granted, we just entered the Big Ten and our football team is trying to adapt to a new schedule, but we need to realize that our participation can greatly impact the transition from the ACC and the outcome of games. Our enthusiasm and pride for this university has the power to transpire a new culture, intimidate opponents and motivate our players to exceed their own expectations.
Realistically, however, this will take time and is hard to expect from a student body just entering the Big Ten. This is all new for us, and expecting that we immediately assimilate into a new culture is practically impossible.
Therefore, in order to improve game days at the university, the school needs to get more involved and provide the initial push. One way to do this is by incentivizing games more often to increase student attendance. For example, free T-shirts always lure students into going to games. It may seem like an expensive venture, but if the school actively seeks private companies, corporations or alumni to fund such incentives as they have done in the past, attendance should go up. Eventually students will realize that going to games is fun and attendance will become natural to them with fewer freebies.
However, the school cannot stop there. Advertising these incentives and games in general is crucial to driving up student involvement. If we are unaware of these giveaways and don’t feel the presence of football on campus during the week, then we won’t understand the importance of going to games.
We just need a spark from the school, and then the rest is up to us. We have the unique opportunity to establish a new Big Ten university culture and improve the quality of game days.
Sauradeep Sinha is a sophomore chemical engineering major. He can be reached at ssinhadbk@gmail.com.
