By Nic LaPonte
As I write this, there is a problem. It is a problem of recognition. There are groups here on campus that work tirelessly at their chosen livelihood and achieve no small successes at what they do.
Nevertheless, the recognition they receive and the fan base that they have is piteously small compared to the effort expended on their behalf.
I'm speaking, or course, about many of our athletic teams here on campus.
It's not that there isn't support for our teams - the Athletic Department, Purple Pride and every student on campus feel proud and excited when we get close to winning that title or that conference.
It's just that I see a discrepancy. When you think of the words "Portland" and "soccer" in relation to our school, what are the images that pop into your head? Is it pictures of our women's team, continually victorious, one of the top ranked clubs in the nation, and arguably the single largest fan base present on campus?
It doesn't surprise me that this is the image that springs to my mind as well when I think of those words.
There you see the problem. With such a powerful image of excellence and victory associated with the women's soccer team, it is easy to see why the men's team, and other teams in general, tend to get the short end of the stick in terms of fan appreciation. I happen to think that we have a very skilled and capable men's soccer team and I would argue that most of the campus would agree with me.
That doesn't matter, though, in terms of sheer renown, the women's team will always outstrip whatever smaller scale successes that the men's team achieve. This is true as well for other teams on campus.
Now it's not that the accomplishments of other teams are any less than those of the women's team, it's just that they are not singular, absolute, nationwide championship victories. That shouldn't matter, but at the same time it does.
Americans love winners. We want to see winners leading the nation, fighting our wars, and our culture places on a pedestal those who are the best winners. Second place in our cultural ethos is next to meaningless.
That is the difficulty that surfaces when trying to gain appreciation for teams and club sports that are good at what they do, work hard and play their best, but for whatever reason are not champions.
One of the difficulties here at UP is the overall size of the student body. Our school is much smaller than other public institutions and as such we have a smaller fan base to go around.
It's no surprise, then, that some of the crowds for less-followed teams have a tendency to be small. It's just an unchangeable fact that some teams have larger followings than others.
The true motivation for athletes on any team, renowned or not, is to put forth the effort and enjoy playing the game.
Unlike the case of the tree that falls in the forest with no one listening, if a game is played in the stadium and there is no one watching, the players are still the ones who ultimately benefit from the sheer joy of participating in the sport.