Students Not Enthusiastic About Team

It is about noon on Wednesday. Outside the San Diego State library, students are wandering back and forth to class, lunch and who-knows-where-else.

How many were planning to wander to Saturday’s San Diego State-Miami football game at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium?

In an informal, 30-minute poll, seven of 14 people said they were going to the game.

A 50% positive response. Way above average.

School officials attribute part of the Aztecs’ declining attendance to student apathy. The average student attendence at games this season is 2,500. This at a school with an enrollment of 34,938 as of last spring’s semester.

Miami is ranked third in the nation in the Associated Press poll. The Hurricanes are the highest-rated opponent to play the Aztecs in San Diego.

We asked three students. All three said yes, they were planning to go.

What was this? Enthusiasm?

Eight consecutive students took care of that. No, no and no, right down the line.

Finally, Clint Lynch, a senior from San Diego, broke the streak.

“I love the games,” he said. “I go to all of them.”

Clint, our man. What’s the deal with the students? Why don’t more go to games?

“Everybody gives having other things to do as an excuse,” he said. “I think there’s no attachment to the Aztecs. People are from other parts of California. You walk around and see people wearing hats of different teams. There are probably as many fans of other colleges as there are SDSU fans.”

One man said he wasn’t going because he thought the school charged students for tickets when the Aztecs played more well-known opponents. Actually, students can get one free ticket the week of the game until game day, when it costs them $3. One man said he had purchased his ticket five minutes ago.

A few more students said they are going to the game. A few said no.

“No,” said Denise Snanoudj, a sophomore from Los Angeles. “There’s no school spirit. I don’t go to any football games. It’s not like it is on the East Coast.”