Growing up I remember making a lot of great memories with my family. Some of the best come from watching the college bowl games as we put up our Christmas tree, or watching the Clemson-Carolina game with bated breath.
While I have pleasant memories of attending the College of Charleston’s basketball games as well, I think the addition of a football team here could have multiple positive outcomes for me, my peers, alumni and the college as a whole.
Here are five of the biggest reasons CofC should add a football team.
Huge financial boost for The College
Sports always offer colleges the opportunity to make money. Whether it is through ticket revenue, merchandise, or generous donations, college athletics have the potential to reward a college very well from a financial stand point.
While basketball certainly makes a profit, no other college sport compares to the revenue made from football. These numbers vary widely from school to school, but the most profitable college football team made $92 million in the 2015-2016 academic year. It would undeniably be an expense to get a new program off the ground, but even if CofC only made a fraction of this number, it could be a huge benefit to the College.
Great recruiting device for high school student athletes
Attempting to get prospective students to attend the college is an important aspect of the way CofC functions. Adding a football team would also add an entirely new pool of potential students who may otherwise not consider attending the College of Charleston.
Even though The College would just be starting out, simply giving new students a platform in which to play football would open a window for one of the thousands of young men who love the sport and are also looking to further their education.
Good publicity for The College
It’s not a secret that college football takes over the airwaves during Fall. Fridays and Saturdays are dominated by coverage, with numbers reportedly as high as 200 million viewers.
Even if the majority of people watching football games wouldn’t know who the College of Charleston was the first time they saw them on the airwaves, their popularity would only grow over time.
Improved school spirit
Sports are a unifying outlet. They give people a force to get behind, a group of people to support. For the athletes participating in the sport, the backing of their peers is crucial to their success.
This would create a great, synergistic environment in which CofC students could look to their friends and fellow students to bond over a common goal.
Although basketball currently serves as CofC’s best unifying sport, adding a football program would only be an opportunity for more students to take interest in what their peers and colleagues are doing.
Incentive to bring alumni back every fall
It is important to remember once students graduate, their college experience is far from over. People take pride in their alma mater for the rest of their lives, and one great way to celebrate that pride would be to watch football with their old friends.
Over 48 million people attend college football games every year, so it is clear that there is an audience that is interested. In my experience, many CofC graduates have stayed within the state after graduating, so it seems very realistic to think many would be happy to make a weekend trip back to Downtown Charleston multiple times in the fall.
What do you think – could the College of Charleston could benefit from a football team, or is it not worth the hassle?
Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
by Chris Prohaska
CougarBuzz 