By: Sammy Clough, Columnist
This is a plea and a petition, an appeal and an adjuration in the hopes of sparking even an inkling of passion in the student body of Furman University regarding our football team.
The players that faithfully and persistently take the field in Paladin Stadium every Saturday deserve better. They do not deserve better based on their performance, and they do not deserve better based on their historic tradition.
They deserve better because they are Furman students too, and they ought to gain respect of their classmates for what they represent each Saturday in the Furman Family.
What happens on up to 15 weekends throughout the fall in colleges and universities across the nation is bigger than just football. You don’t have to love deep passes and big hits to appreciate the pride and passion that is on display when two collegiate football teams battle for 60 minutes of football. Six days of practice each week culminates in an outcry of pride and strength from both players and fans alike.
This, however, is not the state of Furman football.
In a 2017 season where Furman football has found inspiring success, the same empty bleachers of the “student section” can be expected every Saturday in Paladin Stadium. Too often the players look to the crowd to celebrate a fourth quarter lead, and are forced to rely on parents, alumni and local fans for support rather than their own classmates.
I am not asking for every single student to be as passionate about Furman football as I am; not everybody gets that excited about football.
What I am asking though, is that the members of the Furman football team get our respect by doing something as simple as hanging out with friends for two hours in the stands.
The goal of every athlete is to get better every day. As classmates to these athletes, we need to get better about supporting them.
With two home games left this season, let’s join together as a Furman Family and cheer on our Paladins just a little bit harder.
“Roll the cheering onward, hail full and free. Vic’try be now for Furman University!”
