Soccer teams and football see stark difference in student attendance at games.

Fall sports at South Eugene High School have been in full swing since the start of the school year, but student attendance at these athletic events has varied across different sports. Traditionally, playing at home in many mainstream sports is considered to be beneficial for the home team. Hence the term, “home-field advantage.” 

“The loudness of the crowd brings that hype aspect and we just love having a crowd,” South senior soccer player Tomas Serrano remarked. “It motivates us to do better and like to perform. I think that without the crowd we wouldn’t be as motivated. It’s always a good environment to have around.”  

Student turnout at sporting events has varied between sports, as some sports are more popular than others. According to a 2019 survey by AAA State of Play, a playground and equipment supplier, American football was easily the most popular high school sport in the United States, as it was the top sport in 43 out of 50 states, including Oregon.

Aside from being the most popular boys’ high school sport in the nation, high school football possesses another major advantage in terms of receiving a high student turnout: their varsity games are played on Friday nights. Students seem to be more inclined to stay up late on a Friday night, because it is the beginning of the weekend. When South Eugene could not field a football team in 2021 due to a lack of interest, the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams played more games on Friday nights. 

“We haven’t gotten as much [turnout] as there once was, now that we have a football team,” Lila Cadaret, a senior on the South soccer team, said. “They play on Fridays, so our games got moved to Thursdays, and then a lot less people started coming.”

Furthermore, many students are also occupied with schoolwork, jobs, or clubs. Many other students are athletes themselves, and do not have time to attend the home games of their fellow classmates due to their own sports practices. The results from a College Board survey indicated that more than 80 percent of American adolescents participate in extracurricular activities, suggesting that low student turnout may not necessarily be the result of a lack of school spirit. 

“I don’t think a lot of people go to our games, but that’s OK, we’ll take as many people as we can get,” Serrano said. “We love like every single person that pulls up.”

Despite high schoolers’ busy schedules, there are still games and traditions that always increase turnout. For the football team, their annual Homecoming game has one of the most crowded and ecstatic student sections of the year because of the tradition and pageantry surrounding the contest.

Meanwhile, South Eugene’s soccer teams have also found annual games that draw a larger crowd, such as their suicide awareness games and their rivalry games against Sheldon. 

  “At the Emerald Derby, we get the most hype and the most student turnout,” South senior Zeeta Vogt said. “There’s a ton of hype and intensity leading up to the game, so we always have the biggest student section there.”

One of the reasons both the homecoming game and the Emerald Derby have seen such large student turnout is how the games are publicized. This year, the Homecoming game capped off South Eugene’s spirit week. For the suicide awareness game, South Eugene soccer players set up a table next to the library a few days before the game and handed out bracelets. 

“It was advertised a lot better,” senior Bay Olson, another soccer player, said. “It was on the announcements and people were posting about it more, so lots more people knew about it and came out.”

Based on their own words, higher student turnout positively affects South Eugene athletes, and as such, they encourage students to come to support their fellow Axe.

Article by Daniel Harms