Brookhaven Courier

Issue date: 2/20/06 Section: Opinion

After working so hard during a lifetime to succeed as an athlete, choosing a college to play sports at is an accomplishment. Everything one has worked towards will finally pay off. Money, good education and a solid sports program may potentially lead towards gaining a scholarship to a four-year university.

This kind of individual chooses Brookhaven College because the coaches work diligently to recruit them or because they investigated the sports program and liked what they saw.

The coaches work at summer camps and spend many nights at outside games purely for their love of the sport. They are not compensated monetarily for any of the extra time they put in to build a program with solid individuals. They only receive part-time pay for all of the long hours they work.

After players officially sign with Brookhaven, they use it as a stepping-stone to get playing time, better their college skills and receive college credit at a cheaper rate.

So, why on earth does the sports program receive little attention from faculty and students?

If it weren't for the parents of these students, there would not be anyone watching these games. Where is the support from the administration?

I've been to some games at Richland College and their stands are packed. They have a whole building called Thunderduck Hall, named after their mascot. Sometimes I wonder if half of the students at Brookhaven even know what our mascot is.

I know it's not the students' fault. There is no publicity around campus remotely promoting our teams in a positive light, except for the campus newspaper.

I felt as if I had to pull teeth to get the volleyball team recognition after they won nationals two years in a row.

There was a victory reception held in the S Building, but the team was positioned next to a college day event where multiple tables were set up. At first there wasn't a microphone present and it appeared as if it was no big deal. Sure, it ended up happening, but this is the negative attitude that I'm talking about.

I simply believe that sports has an immense positive effect on students' lives and should be better supported by Brookhaven as a whole and on all college campuses for that matter. All of the game schedules are posted on Brookhaven's Web site.

If nothing else, I hope that faculty, staff and students will start supporting the sports program and realize the positive effect it has for our campus.

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