It has been a long time since Albany has had a football atmosphere. There have always been holes in the stands. However, for the past three years there has been an increase in attendance of students to home football games. The year 2008 averaged 94 students per game, 2009 averaged 118, and this past football season averaged 204. So why this increase?
Perhaps the answer lies in the Tailgating Club. Myles Rabin nurtured the idea of this club last year, when he and his friends decided they wanted an excuse to grill and eat hamburgers. Soon, the club blossomed into a school-wide fad, attracting students from all walks of life.
The famous shirt with the slogan, “Sun’s out, Guns out,” became visible across campus, as buying and wearing one was the key to getting free food from the club’s fantastic grilling.
With around 70 students in the club, all paying full price to enter a game, it is safe to assume that part of the increase this year is due to the activism of tailgating. When asked if he thought tailgating contributed to the increase, Myles Rabin said, “I think it makes a difference. Football games have become more of a social event, and I believe that tailgating has played a major part in this.”
Pep Band may also account for the attendance increase in those years before tailgating existed. Even though increases in past years were slight, Siobhan Bauer, leader of the band, claimed that pep band “helps create a cool atmosphere,” and “helps counteract the fact that our football team isn’t successful.”
Bauer also said that pep band is a cliché that is cherished by all. “A lot of people who show up to games usually do so because not only will they get to see people they know, but they get to listen to popular tunes.”
Bauer admits that the increase this year is probably more due to tailgating than pep band and expects to see a continuing increase as these two clubs develop.
History teacher, Kevin James, a long-time supporter and attendee of the school’s home football games, noted that he has seen an increase in students compared to years past. James says that there is a plethora of factors that contribute to this rise in attendance. The main factors include the fact that football games are now at night, and that tailgating and pep band attract audiences. “If night games stay, and tailgating and pep band gain momentum, I expect to see an increase over the next couple years,” James predicted.
One might ask, “why is it so important that there’s an increase in attendance?” Sharing the same opinion as James, many believe that these football games build school community, even if it is around a football team with a history of losses.
Regardless if it is due to Pep Band or the Tailgating Club, it is a welcome change to see the student body care about going to football games.
