The Point Park soccer teams planned a White Out game on October 14 in hopes of seeing a student section repping all white attire. Students and staff posted about the upcoming game on social media, urging students to come and support the men’s and women’s teams as they took on River States Conference (RSC) competitors Shawnee State.
The university provided free shuttles to the stadium, and admission was free for students. Despite the marketing efforts, Highmark Stadium’s stands were nearly empty. Granted, the weather was not ideal that night, but the turnout was still discouraging for many.
Students have expressed their concerns about the lack of school spirit on campus. While the university is known for its performing arts programs, the athletic game attendance is lower than most schools.
“I’ve gone to a few games for the Sports Communications Club, and the environment is really fun,” Liyah Rashid, a freshman PR and advertising major, said. “It’s super important for more students to get involved in going to the games and showing up to support our athletes.”
The only home games that are played on campus are Esports matches,which students cannot watch in-person, and volleyball games, where seating is limited. Point Park often provides free shuttle transportation to home soccer, basketball, baseball and softball games. The university also grants students free admission to every home game.
Bernie Ankney, the dean of the School of Communication, shared his thoughts on why he thinks the sports games have little turnout.
“I think not having an on-campus arena for sports affects attendance,” Ankney said. “When you have to get on a bus to drive to a sporting event, that’s a complication.”
A plan for new on-campus sporting facilities is not currently in the works. For the time being, the athletic programs are trying new ways to boost school spirit among those who do attend the games. Recent soccer and volleyball games included T-shirt tosses and halftime activities to hype up the crowd.
Students work hard to promote Point Park sports teams at each game, creating photo, video, broadcast and social media content. Each team has a social media presence, but it’s still not affecting game turnout.
“I hope [that] over the next five years or ten years, Point Park is able to host more campus sporting events,” Ankney said. “I think that will help if you have a basketball court on campus.”
Ankney proposed a second solution that could potentially boost attendance at athletic events.
“I think a second thing would be maybe combining it to some classes – COM101 or UNIV101 – where you get extra credit to go support your classmates to play sports,” Ankney said.
As basketball season starts this week and the soccer teams make their postseason appearances, attendance numbers could begin to increase. The basketball teams play their home games at the CCAC-Allegheny Physical Education Building, and shuttles will be provided for this week’s home opener.
