Slippery Rock University’s Mihalik-Thompson Stadium saw over 5,000 fans rooting against the West Chester University Golden Rams on Sept. 9, but the fans in the stands may not accurately represent how many students attend games.
The Rocket recorded 241 student responses in a survey asking about their attendance habits to SRU sporting events.
How many students attend games?
Sadly, about 28% of respondents said they still have not attended an SRU sporting event. Some of them were freshman who simply have not had the chance yet, and others were students who are not as interested in sports or just want to attend a game before they graduate.
About 27% of respondents said they attend SRU sporting events about once per week, which are likely the football games. About 17% said they attend multiple games per month, and about 25% of respondents said they attend games about once per month.
SRU does still have some sports fanatics. Eight respondents said they attend sporting events multiple times per week, and one even said they attend every day.
Why do they attend?
What is this person doing at these events every day? About 68% of respondents attend games to spend time with friends, about 64% go to watch the game and support the teams, and almost 50% simply enjoy the atmosphere.
When it comes to creating an energetic atmosphere, many respondents thank SRU’s Marching Pride. Around 81 respondents said they are either band members or attend games specifically to support the band.
What sports are they attending?
Though football is by far the most popular, over 50 respondents said they attend basketball games most, and about 34 said they attend both university and club soccer matches most. The next most popular sports are club and university baseball, volleyball, field hockey and lacrosse.
While these were most popular, students supported a variety of sports in the survey. There were other popular SRU sports like club softball and track and field, and less common sports like rugby, swimming, wrestling and powerlifting. Three students said they enjoy watching equestrian competitions.
Demographics
Freshman composed the most survey responses with almost 30%. About 25% of respondents were sophomores, about 21% were juniors, and slightly fewer responses came from seniors. The remaining approximate 4% were either graduate students, Fifth-year students or do not attend SRU. About 20% of respondents said they play on a university or club team.
About 68% of respondents were female, about 27% were male, and about 5% were non-binary, gender fluid or preferred not to say.
