2008 Woodie Awards
Not Enough Room for Fans
Rollins officials worried about too many fans showing up at College athletic events.
Jake Kohlman
Issue date: 4/1/05 Section: Sports
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For months now fans have been complaining about there not being enough room at the Rollins athletic facilities to fit all the people who show up to the games. Long lines to get in, not to mention long bathroom lines, have led some fans to stop even trying to get in to see their favorite teams.
For years, Rollins has been known for its apathy towards all school events in general and Rollins sports specifically. Games rarely drew more then a hundred people and only sports like soccer, baseball and basketball were even drawing that many people.
Now though Rollins games for all sports are routinely drawing hundreds of students who seem consumed with school spirit. Athletes interviewed for this piece were shocked at the outpouring of support, with many commenting that their ears often rang after games from all the noise their fellow students were making.
While the Athletic Department is said to be overjoyed at the support they are worried about the logistical problems that come with so many fans coming to games. The newly improved soccer stadium features 500 chairs with backs but those are often gone in the first three minutes after the gates open. Officials are considering re-renovating the stadium to accommodate the demand.
Other facilities all over campus might also have to be expanded. The softball stadium, the gym and the pool area are all under consideration to be enlarged so that all the students can watch the games or matches without rioting outside because they were not let in.
An Athletic Department staffer who wanted her, or his, name withheld, expressed surprise at the whole issue of over-crowding, saying "I always thought Rollins kids never knew they had sports teams and that's why they never showed up."
The main goal of the Department is to make sure all the fans who want to get in are able to do so. For a school that for so long had no fans at all, it's a nice problem to have.