ASU’s Game Day Initiative had positive results during its first semester, but its tradition still has a long way to go until it is set in stone.
The initiative is a reflection of both the University and President Michael Crow’s efforts to establish firmly rooted traditions at ASU and to create collective school pride at all four campuses.
According to the ASU Ticket Office, student football game attendance increased each game last season as compared to 2009, with the exception of one game that fell during Thanksgiving break.
Student attendance at the 2010 opening game reached approximately 6,800. This was an increase of about 1,600 students, as compared to the 5,200 student attendees at the 2009 opening game.
Student attendance, with the exception of the game during Thanksgiving break, increased by at least 1,100 each game.
William Kennedy, associate athletic director, has worked on the initiative and said he has seen an increasing amount of students interacting at games and participating in the spirited activities, such as rattling keys during kick-off.
Kennedy’s long-term hopes and goals of the initiative parallel the University’s.
“The hopes and goals for next season are to continue the positive direction that has been started with the Game Day Initiative and to continue to build strong student pride at ASU events,” Kennedy said.
The Game Day Initiative hopes to increase student involvement in sports-related activities to ratios comparable to other universities with stronger traditions.
The initiative began last fall with the football season. Each campus participated in weekly Game Day activities such as the Pitchfork Pep Rally, held every Thursday to promote that week’s game. A Sparky mascot and ASU athletes were assigned to each campus to promote Sun Devil pride.
On game day, students were invited to participate in all-day activities from pre-game to post-game.
Kennedy said high student turnout is beneficial to the performance team, and the initiative hopes to increase that turnout in the future.
As the central contact for the Game Day Initiative downtown, Lorrie Miller, assistant director of Student Rights and Responsibilities at the Downtown campus, said she is hopeful about the direction the initiative is going.
“The Game Day Initiative has really taken off,” Miller said. “[Fall semester] it had an amazing student, faculty and fan support.”
Though the main push of the initiative is to promote football and basketball, it has also continued with less intensity during spring sport seasons.
Eric Beeler, a sustainability senior and student member of the Game Day Initiative Committee and member of ASU Morphs, a student spirit club, said he wants to encourage school spirit in others.
“I am proud to be a Sun Devil and that is something that the committee hopes to do — instill that pride in others.”
The committee, which meets via video conference from all four campuses, continues to promote Game Day activities and hype for baseball and softball season.
The initiative has been strongly publicized by student leaders, faculty, weekly University emails and daily updates though Facebook and Twitter.
“It’s wonderful when you see the amount of people coming together to do something that we believe in and are in support of which is the future cause of tradition and school spirit,” Miller said.
Reach the reporter at ctetreau@asu.edu
