Well, I think it's due to the exposure and the excitement. There's nothing like going to a game with thousands of other people, with whom you have a common bond. And it's like Ralph said, it's something to watch. Even though they weren't on the team, they followed them and stuck with them throughout the whole season. As a matter of fact, I think a university ought to embrace its athletic department.
Sports can be a vehicle for our faith.
Athletes who get a lot of exposure could use that vehicle to send a positive message. Often they don't use it. That's one of my biggest problems with a lot of athletes. Some Christian athletes use their exposure to talk about and spread God's word, but some of them don't. We try to impress upon our students that they're going to be out in front of everybody and that what they do is very important to their teammates, the coaches and the school.