What do you think of when you hear the word "sports" at Rensselaer? If you’re like most people here, the first thing that comes to mind is hockey, and for good reason. RPI has a tradition of boasting an excellent Division I men’s hockey team.
But RPI’s sports lineup isn’t a one-team show. There are a number of other sports with talented individuals that simply aren’t getting the attention they deserve. Women’s sports are particularly overlooked. Women’s soccer, for example, is 11-1. They’ve shutout their opponents eight times, and outscored them by a total of 54-9.
Football is having another season like the epic campaign of 1999—still undefeated thus far this year, the Engineers are far and away outperforming expectations and silencing more naysayers with every victory.
RPI, long known as a "geek school," has suddenly transformed itself into an athletics machine. Across the board, our teams are constantly posting winning records, making the postseason, and capturing championships. Combined, our varsity sports are well over the .500 mark for the past several years.
But the transformation won’t be complete until there are fans in the seats. To those diehards who attend every game of a particular sport: We congratulate you. To those who go to a few games here and there to support a friend who’s on the team, we congratulate you, too. But to those of you who’ve never been to a single match, all we can say is: You’re missing out. Support your teams. A few more faces in the crowd can really make a difference to the athletes playing the game, and in the long run it will give our athletic program the momentum it needs to stay successful for a long time to come.
But don’t think it’s all for the teams. Gathering up a group of friends and heading down to your game of choice can be an excellent way to enjoy an afternoon. There’s nothing quite like the atmosphere of a sporting event. Once you get into the spirit, you’ll be hooked. Let’s go Red!
