This past Saturday, September 15, the Pomona-Pitzer men’s soccer team played its conference opener at home against arch-rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. By kickoff, our field was well-populated with spectators. Five minutes into the game, it was clear that the vast majority of those in attendance were not supporting the blue and orange. Indeed, an early goal by Matt Lee-Ashley ‘04 was met with few cheers other than those from the Sagehen bench. Throughout the game, as the Sagehens’ play became somewhat uninspired, little fan support was evident.

As always, a small group of some 20 or so P-P supporters came, but for a game of this magnitude, the lack of fan support was more than a little disappointing. While this game started at 11 am, the early beginning did not seem to bother the CMS fans, who showed up in droves. The Stag fans were by all accounts highly vocal, and this support most certainly inspired the CMS players in their come-from-behind victory.

Moreover, Saturday’s soccer game was a good example of a problematic trend here at Pomona. The football team squared off against Colorado College later that day, where there was a throng of Tiger backers which nearly rivaled the number of Sagehen fans. How can a team from Boulder, CO, attract nearly as many fans as our teams do when we are playing in our own backyard? At the four men’s water polo games this past weekend, visiting teams from Cal Baptist, La Verne, UC Santa Cruz, and Occidental had significantly larger cheering sections than we did. This is not acceptable.

The athletes who compete in Pomona-Pitzer colors do so with immeasurable amounts of pride. They work hard to compete at the levels they do, and they do so while maintaining some of the best grades among student athletes across the nation. Unlike so many institutions - including such liberal arts notables as Amherst, Williams, and Middlebury - which noticeably lower their standards of admission in order to accept highly skilled athletes, Pomona is a school at which the students are merely students who happen to play a sport; nevertheless, our teams are very successful, and we have some of the best Division III athletes that the country has to offer.

Hence, it is our duty as Pomona students to go out and support our teams in full force, just as we would dramatic plays or musical recitals. Athletes at this school are not of a separate class; they are our friends, classmates, and neighbors, so we should be out at games cheering and pushing our teams towards victory.

Finally, when I talk of cheering, I am thinking of an all out assault on the opposing teams’ eardrums! Sing chants, scream cheers, hell, even bang drums or blow horns if you want. And always keep in mind that we should cheer for the Sagenhens, not against the opponent. Positive encouragement shows class and pride; negative jeers are simply the ways of the insecure.

So please, take a minute to look over the scheduled games listed in this section. Circle a few games each week, put together a group, set your alarm clock, and then show up at our games in full force. Doing so will make Cecil proud, and you’ll finally realize how much fun you’ve been missing.