Although most students at Penn agree that they’re pretty happy here, we admittedly don’t have an overflow of traditional school spirit. It’s tough to picture students tailgating before a football game outside of Franklin Field.
This has been a problem in recent years, as attendance has been noticeably lagging. That’s why we’re happy to see that the Athletics Department is investing more heavily in the Red & Blue Crew, giving the loose-limbed organization more structure. Intended to get more students going to games — of all sports, not just sporadic basketball and football games — the Red & Blue Crew now has a $500 fund to help get Penn students more pumped up for the Quakers.
We question, however, whether or not they can accomplish their goals on the low budget of $500 a year. Galvanizing large groups of students is a huge undertaking, and one that can’t be done without some serious expenses. And although belts are likely tight this year, we’re very doubtful the small sum will be able to get additional students to the Palestra this year — let alone convincing them to trek out to Rhodes Field. If we want to increase school spirit, we need to increase the budget.
