Students don't show up for football games, and when they do their cheering, if you could call it that, it would be best described as the sound of one hand clapping. And forget about expecting them to stop, maybe stand up, and listen to it being played by the marching band. Add to that the fact that, when students do make the trip up to Lawrence A. Wien Stadium at Baker Field, they hardly cheer, and what you get is a team probably scratching its head as to why you could hear a pin drop on the sideline. I went to Baker Blast to watch the Lions destroy Fordham by the score of 47-22. Granted, it was a strong crowd, but the reality was that the game was one of two trips most make uptown.
Homecoming is the next and last.
My girlfriend went to Baker Blast with my friends and me. A native of Dallas, she has seen her fair share of high school football, best explained as something more sacred than church itself in the Lone Star State. She casually mentioned to me that the crowds at her high school games were more intense than the assembled multitudes at Columbia's first night football game. As expected, attendance at the past two home games has also been pretty dismal. Perhaps a better crowd would have helped the Lions hold off the Tigers, who came back to win in overtime despite being down 10 points with five minutes to play.