As a new football season approaches, the Mountaineer Maniacs and students are getting ready to cheer on the Mountaineers in Milan Puskar Stadium. However, despite the Maniacs being the largest student organization on campus, many still refuse to give them much credit. That is because many times the student section isn’t full, and when it does fill up, it doesn’t stay full for long. This has happened on many occasions in recent years, and many fans have expressed their displeasure. Mainly, on social media. West Virginia fans have been said to be some of the most loyal and passionate fans in the country, so why can’t the student section stay full for games? The truth is it has nothing to do with the passionate Mountaineer Maniacs.
The Mountaineer Maniacs and their representatives go above & beyond for the athletic events. Rather, it has to do with those who go to the game solely for a social get-together. The ones that leave games early are those who simply have no interest in whether WVU wins the game or not. Or, they have something that holds higher priority over a football game which is obviously okay. Ones that show up late can show up late for a variety of reasons. The biggest one? The gates. Students are all trying to get into the gates, and it creates bottlenecks. Hence why at kickoff it looks empty, but halfway through the first quarter, it is full.
The WVU students deserve so much more credit than they are given, despite the fact there is a significant number that do not stay. Whenever WVU plays a huge game, the students are always there in full force and they are there the entire game. It’s usually the less anticipated matchups where you might see a lack of student attendance. Should it be full always? In my opinion, yes, especially for conference games. In some cases, it can be embarrassing. In fact, I’d almost go as far to say that it is a problem, especially when you are considered some of the most passionate fans in the country.
Nonetheless, WVU students do deserve more respect for their encouraging acts towards the athletic programs. However, if we do see a dip in student attendance this season, the benefit of the doubt could alter.
