Students attend sports games as a way to show support for their school, however there has always been a gap in attendance depending on the sport. Turnout for particular sports such as the boys and girls tennis teams have always been on the lower end, with mainly the parents of the players being the only people there to support.. Some sports such as basketball, however, have a large turnout for the boys varsity team, and a low turnout for the girls varsity team. It is estimated that the girls varsity team typically has about two rows of the bleachers filled with parents for their games, and an entire gym full of students, staff, and parents for the boys varsity team.
“The sports that have had the highest attendance are the girls softball and volleyball teams, and the boys basketball and football teams,” said Athletic Director Dennis Davis. ”Most of our other sports with low attendance start at 3:00 or 3:30 PM, and a lot of parents are still at work at that time, which is why we have tried to change the times in result of a higher turnout.”
Tennis player Mariya Klymenko estimates that an average of fifteen people from San Marin come to watch every match. The boys tennis team gets about the same amount with an average of ten people attending every match.
“Games such as football and girl’s volleyball are always announced on the loudspeaker and posted on San Marin’s social media accounts, while other sports such as tennis are not very advertised,”Klymenko said.
The varsity football team has always had the highest attendance at their games with an average of 181 parents and 133 students.
“The Junior Varsity team works just as hard, I feel that since varsity is more experienced, those interested in football would rather come and watch us play over the JV team,” Varsity football player Tyler Guin said.
Davis expressed that the school is open to suggestions on how to increase the attendance at certain games, besides the attempts he has made. San Marin’s athletic department has addressed this issue by changing the times at which the girls basketball team plays, and doing giveaways for the people who attend. Even though the games are now at a later time, the turnout has remained the same.
Varsity girls basketball player Lilly Jacob shared how the lack of support at her games has made an impact on her motivation to perform well on the court.
“The boy’s games are packed with people with school pride and spirit and that same support should be brought to our games,” Jacob said. “We are all putting in the same effort with intense practices and it should be rewarded with a crowd to cheer on the team. The lack of people attending our games discourages us when we are faced with a difficult game. Support from the crowd changes the way we play, knowing we have the school behind us.”
Varsity boys basketball player Cole Sherley explains why he thinks more people come to his team’s games in comparison to the girls varsity basketball team.
“I think the reason why more people attend our games is because they believe that boys play more competitively than the girls,” Sherley said.
San Marin’s accountant clerk, Lisa Ferrigno, said the attendance for sports games in general have been at an all time low nationwide since parents and students are so busy with either work or after school activities.
