While the University of Connecticut is a renowned university full of learning and research opportunities for its students, one of the most important parts of the Husky community is athletics. After winning the 2023 National Championship for men’s basketball and looking ahead to our back-to-back Final Four games, I thought this would be a good opportunity to go through my experiences at various sporting events around campus.
5. baseball
I want to start off by saying that baseball has never been my favorite sport or close to it. I rarely watch it on TV because it goes too slow for me, and I often get distracted. However, watching it in person is very different. Baseball season begins early in the spring semester at UConn, but I would definitely say the best time to go is a beautiful, sunny, and warm spring day. Located back behind the Morrone soccer stadium is where the baseball team squares off. While I have only been to one or two games, the atmosphere at UConn baseball games always impresses me. If you enjoy a quieter crowd compared to sports like basketball, this would be the perfect sporting event for you. The crowd is quiet for the most part, but once UConn gets going, the crowd is all for cheering them on when appropriate. Also, one of my favorite parts about going to baseball games is I don’t feel like I have to stay the whole time. Baseball is a very long game, but even after a few innings, I feel like I’ve been there long enough to see a good match and can go do other things if I need to that day.
4. football
While UConn may not be known to have the best football team in all of college football, I still believe all students should try to go to at least some of the games while they are here! Since Jim Mora stepped in as the new head coach, we have been winning a few games throughout the season. Bringing the energy to the field for the team and continuing to show up will help our football program continue to grow! All the home games for UConn football are held at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT. This is one of the downfalls for me about the football games because it can take a while to get there, but luckily, fans can always come early to tailgate or get a roadshow ticket and bus from campus! When it is a high-profile game that lots of students and fans show up to, these football games can be electric. The “Rent” has such a good variety of food and drink stands for those needing to fuel up for the game and cheering gets good when the game is close!
3. HOCKEY
I can’t speak a ton about hockey at UConn because I have only been to one game in the last four years, but if all the games are like the one I went to, I would highly recommend checking out UConn hockey games! The new Toscano Family Ice Arena opened up recently on campus and makes a huge difference, so students don’t need to make the trek to Hartford for the games. It’s a stunning hockey arena and I love all the historic pictures and timelines that are included on the walls for fans to see. I went to a game of UConn vs. University of New Hampshire which was a really good game as UNH was ranked nationally at the time. The student section is a bit small, but with the help of the band, it can get really intense! Being so up close to the glass and being able to watch UConn put up a good fight in one of my favorite sports made it an all-around great sporting event.
2. Soccer
It may be because I played soccer all my life, but attending UConn soccer games has been a staple for me since my sophomore year. Both the women’s and men’s teams are very good at soccer, and I love watching both, but I find the better crowd is often at men’s games. Dubbed the “goal patrol,” students who come to the soccer games often congregate behind the opposing team’s net to heckle the goalie and celebrate when UConn gets a goal. A few students who have been coming to the games for a while tend to lead a lot of the chants and cheers, which makes it all the more fun. After the half, the student side switches as does the way the teams are shooting, but the cheering never wavers. Since soccer isn’t a high-scoring game most of the time, almost all of the games I’ve been to have been close games that often come down to the last few minutes to decide a winner. The tension and excitement continue to build throughout the game and the celebration after a winning goal is absolutely electric. If you haven’t been or have been thinking about going to a soccer game, I highly recommend it! It makes for a great night either by yourself or with friends.
1. basketball
There is no question that basketball is the best sporting event to attend at UConn. No matter the day, men’s or women’s, or the opposing team, there is always a full crowd in Gampel or at the XL Center in Hartford. Since the popularity of both teams has grown exponentially over the past few years, getting student tickets to these games has been more and more tricky. I can understand why though. On the day of the event, students and fans gather in the stadium hours before the game begins to get the best view possible. At the start of each game, students rise to their feet, start clapping, and never stop bringing the energy. Each basket that’s scored causes an eruption of cheers in the crowd and it’s an environment that makes me so happy and proud to be a part of the UConn community. If you’re lucky enough to get tickets to any of these games, you should go to as many as you can!
All in all, there are still so many more sports events at UConn that you can attend that I haven’t had the chance to. From volleyball, to track and field, to lacrosse, you can be sure to always find some type of athletics happening around UConn. I believe we have some of the most devoted fans and students in all of college sports, and hope that this continues for a lifetime. Attending these events alone or with friends is sure to make for a good time out and allows you to connect with others who have the same liking as you. So, get out there and go check out either some of your favorite sports or ones you’ve never seen before it’s too late!