If you haven’t heard by now, the UW-Whitewater football team has been doing quite well. They are on a quest to win their third consecutive national championship as they travel to Salem, Va., for the Stagg Bowl.
While we are proud of our football team, our university has other programs with winning traditions on their side as well.
The men’s and women’s soccer teams are always competitive, the women’s volleyball team has a rich history and continues to win WIAC titles. Also, the defending national champion wheelchair basketball team and defending national champion rugby teams don’t get enough love from the student body as they should.
The two basketball teams, baseball, softball, swimming, gymnastic, wrestling, track and cross country teams are all in great hands. Being a Warhawk means something. It means working hard on the field and in the classroom.
The edge and focus Warhawks have is hard to miss.
Whether it’s Sofia Sanchez smacking a kill in a volleyball game or Kaitlyn Thill picking an opponent’s pocket for a layup in basketball, they all depict the same strive for greatness which our school has come to expect from its student athletes.
When people question why the university spends so much money on athletics, there are a variety of answers. The football team, like many athletic programs, brings in the most money and is the gold standard for all our athletic programs.
As ESPN2 televises the Stagg Bowl, the university will have the chance to air a commercial, like they did last year. This gives the university a voice on a national stage to promote its academics. Very few schools have the privilege of doing this.
Often, only schools who have a highly ranked Division-I program on national television can use this tactic to promote their academics.
Athletic teams help unite a campus. While we might not always be able to agree on who to cheer for in a Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears game, we will never falter on our support for the Warhawks.
While attendance at some sporting events isn’t awful, it should be much better. Our school is among the largest in Division-III and our sports teams are some of the most competitive in the country.
Our teams help the university. Let’s return that help by supporting their talents.
