THE FIRST image that comes to mind when one hears the word “game” is a stadium filled with a crowd cheering on their favorite team as an athlete makes a run to score. The crowd goes wild as he does and it is truly a sight to behold.
In the context of Ateneo sports, we usually imagine a game to be against our greatest rival school, De La Salle University (DLSU), where historically, families and friends gather in the Araneta Coliseum to show their support for their school— especially during the glory days of our five-peat champion basketball team under Coach Norman Black.
However for three years now, we have been experiencing a title drought from this once decorated team. Luckily, the second semester has fueled the interest of most supporters, turning to watch our Lady Eagles with their Queen, Alyssa Valdez, bring home two championship titles that were once owned by the DLSU Lady Spikers.
But things were different during era of the Lady Eagles’ domination. The top supporters present during these games were not the alumni who are known for their passionate —but at times taunting — cheers nor were they the students who would sometimes even cut their classes to watch a weekday game. Instead, the arenas are now filled with the off-campus fan clubs that support the Blue and White because of the influential players of the Lady Eagles.
We cannot deny the fact that the supporters from our own Ateneo community have been dwindling. For the less popular sports, the situation seems to be even worse. Though these teams are able to gain championship titles and podium finishes, only a select few exert the effort to attend their tournaments.
On a positive note, this may go to show that the sports teams found their true supporters, though it still does not seem enough for our Blue and Lady Eagles. Why else would each team go through great lengths to schedule a profile picture blast on Facebook? Why would they need to clamor for support and market themselves for the Ateneo community to know that they exist?
The athletes themselves are the ones reaching out to us through different mediums, whether online or word of mouth, to be able to garner support from the already indifferent Ateneo community.
Although there are people who recognize their efforts online by retweeting news about them and acknowledging their posts, the feeling remains to be different when the physical presence of the people closest to them is felt during their proudest moment of the year. After a year of toiling in training for their beloved university, the image of empty bleachers in the athletes’ biggest game is not something they want to be returned with.
Forgoing one’s responsibilities is not an easy task— given the distance from Katipunan to Mall of Asia Arena or Rizal Memorial Stadium— but being a friend of an athlete or a supporter from the community tends to give off a comforting presence when spotted on the bleachers.
With that sparkle of hope in the athlete’s eyes, a simple gesture of support can go beyond the non-existent encounter in social media. For the Atenean, it encourages everyone to rekindle the school spirit that unites us in strength with the athletes.
The Ateneo school spirit may be fading, but it has not died. It will not die.
