Why Won’t Broncos Turn Up And Turn Out?

The legacy of the Santa Clara fanbase fades as the stands remain desolate on game day

It’s no secret that the “Santa Clara Weekend” is sizable competition to athletics games as of late. With such beautiful weather and weekend parties at our fingertips, spending your Saturday getting sunburnt while drinking a warm Coors Light in a dirty backyard is the easy choice. Compared to that absolute riot of an afternoon, watching Jalen Williams splash 3-pointers from the NBA line and jeering at the Gaels sounds boring, right?

That’s the only feasible answer popping into minds of sport-loving students when questioning the lack of student turnout at Santa Clara. Few other schools with this number of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I teams and such strong athlete records struggle with turnout.

Despite competing against top-tier teams and performing admirably, Santa Clara athletes faced a multitude of unique challenges this year — one of which was managing low audience turnout. Student attendance at Santa Clara Athletics events is abysmal for a school of such prestige in both the academic and athletic realms.

Data collected by the Santa Clara Athletics Department proves this to be true. Women’s soccer averages 500 student attendees per home game and 300 student attendees per men’s basketball game. These turnouts are pathetic for a school with teams of such high caliber and a student body of nearly 9,000.

Legends like basketball superstar Steve Nash and soccer powerhouse Brandi Chastain put Santa Clara on the map for athletics. Their success stories continue to draw in athletic recruits, and their love of the game lingers in the stadiums to this day. Not only are Nash and Chastain shining examples of perseverance and competition, they are also the darlings of Santa Clara alumni.

Did the times of Steve Nash and Brandi Chastain teach us nothing? It’s not as if the school no longer turns out high-caliber athletes: just look to Kelsey Turnbow, Jalen Williams, and Lindsey VanAllen for continuous evidence of the school’s formidable talent year after year.

Students are never far from seeing and hearing about athletics happening around campus, with advertisements for them posted outside Benson Memorial Center and on flyers all over campus. Not to mention, Santa Clara Athletics social media is constantly attempting to persuade a rise in student attendance with giveaways, reminding students to show up and show out. These advertisements are usually more costly than successful, with little increase in student attendance despite extensive efforts to market the games.

Student turnout is high for special events only — this was evident when students rallied for women’s soccer games against BYU and USf, then later basketball games against Gonzaga and Stanford. Unfortunately, this seems to be the extent of the support within the student body for Santa Clara University Athletics.

So, where’s the crowd? Where’s the school spirit? Santa Clara students shouldn’t need an incentive or a prize to attend games; the fact of the matter is that you simply don’t have to love sports to enjoy a game. High intensity competition and perfectly executed plays won’t be the highlight of sporting events–yelling with fellow Broncos about a basket, goal, or ace helps release pent-up rage and inspires feelings of camaraderie. When the stress of midterms is too much, letting off steam with a good yell can be extra beneficial.

Division I athletics are fantastic for attracting incoming students and athletes, and can bring in a large sum of revenue – all beneficial to the school. Another bonus? Impressive, rowdy student sections with loud chants and crowds representing school colors distract and instill fear into opponents, driving their performances down.

Few other schools can say they have produced some of the most iconic athletes in history, and if today’s teams show anything, it’s that Santa Clara isn’t done taking names and titles across the board. The history of rigor and power in Santa Clara athletes fades with time as less and less students attend games, and the legacies of famous former athletes are pushed to the side.

Sports at Santa Clara are awesome. Seriously. We are right up there alongside the best teams in our division, and gameplay is something of beauty. From impressive headers on the soccer pitch to unbelievable layups on the basketball court, sports are FUN.

If the aforementioned excitement and fun still hasn’t convinced you to support Santa Clara athletics, that’s cool too. Spend your time how you want. But, even a repost on Instagram of a game schedule or a “like” of an Athletics post can increase interaction, marketing success, and support for the entire department. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous one afternoon, try out the student section at Leavey, Schott, or Stevens Stadium. You don’t have to know the details of what’s going on; just yell when everyone else yells, get some fresh air, and watch incredible athletes fulfill their lifelong goals of collegiate competition. It’s worth it.