With the BU fall sports season well under way and the World Series currently taking place in our very own backyard, major sports fans have made it a habit on game nights to break out the jerseys, face paint, and pre-designed posters. Bostonians’ spirit spreads throughout the city on game days, as it does on the BU campus. Boston is certainly a sports town. The love that this city has for its home teams definitely might intimidate the non-mega sports fans.
Even if you are not a sports fanatic, you may have already learned that the only teams that exist to Bostonians are the Patriots, Bruins, Celtics, and Red Sox. It is plausible that a person could be fearful of having an interaction with a Bostonian if the “foreigner” does not have a warm spot for sports! In addition, students who do not often attend university games or have little awareness of the many BU sports teams might feel ostracized by the sports community on campus. Not being an avid sports fan is not a crime, however. You can easily immerse yourself in the sports world without having to be an aficionado. There are five ways to become a sports enthusiast without really trying.
1. The power of social media
Social media defines our generation. We use it throughout our daily lives to communicate information. Take advantage of that! You can simply access sports information by liking the Boston University Athletics Facebook page, following The Boston Globe Sports Twitter account or checking into The Boston Red Sox Team Instagram. By doing two or all three, you will be notified of the upcoming BU/Boston games and you will never be out of the loop. You will become more knowledgeable about a team’s overall statistics than you had ever been before. And lastly, you will be able to see what a sports team is doing day by day. All in all, the sports world is right at your fingertips!
2. On-campus news media
BU has many news outlets that provide students with the latest sports news and also local current events. A few news sources include the on-campus broadcasting station BUTV10, on-campus radio station WTBU, The Daily Free Press, and various college hockey blogs. BUTV10 has programs that cover BU sports such as “The SportsWire”, “Terrier Nation”, and “Off Sides”, among others. You can also tune into WTBU Sports, while simultaneously reading page seven in the FreeP. There is also a BU Men’s Ice Hockey sports blog and a BU Quad online sports page.
3. Watching team practices at FitRec
This third option might sound a bit odd but it has its benefits. On the first and second floors of FitRec, there are treadmills, StairMasters, and elliptical machines lined up in a row that face out to the swimming pool. Every so often the water polo and the swim teams hold night practices during the week. Due to the positioning of the workout machines, you can watch the practices from the big glass window. The benefit of being a spectator is that you can see how water polo is played or you can become familiar with the various swimming strokes over time. This open window, so to speak, gives you the opportunity to not only observe a match or practice, but also to learn the fundamentals of a particular game without having any prior knowledge of the sport.
4. Taking notice of flyers
The eye-catching red and white BU sports game flyers that are posted in CAS or pinned to the bulletin boards in various residences are not just there for decoration. When you are walking to class or heading to your dorm elevator, take a minute to scan the boards to see which BU team has a game scheduled for the upcoming week. By doing so, you will gain an understanding of what students are talking about in the halls. In addition, you will be able to discuss the specifics of that game you hear or read about the next day. Although what the flyers perhaps lack in depth of content, they make up for with their breadth of information. In the end, taking notice of the notices is key.
5. Attend a game for the experience
This final suggestion would probably be most effective! Going to a BU game might be the best hour and a half you will spend in your entire college career. The Boston University student body and faculty have incredible BU pride and display huge amounts of school spirit on game days. Whether the sport is field hockey or soccer, a dedicated group of BU students always manage to show support for the teams by attending at least several games each season. Why not join in on the fun? As you watch a game from the stands in Agganis or Case Gym, you will likely be rubbing shoulders with screaming fans and hyperactive students cheering on their peers. You have nothing to lose, and a lot of spirit to gain. Give it a try and bring your A Game to BU sports!