Urban has never been known for its sports. Although Urban is a formidable competitor in Division 5 Bay Coast League West (BCL), Blues games are far from televised events. However, many students still take pride in their affiliation with professional sports teams and are consumed with sports outside of Blues culture. In this article, the Legend set out to discover just how much time Urban students spend watching sports. Are the Blues casual fans who tune in for the playoffs, or diehards who can’t keep their eyes off of the television? 

Many students are attracted to watching sports that they play themselves. For example, BCL West 1st Team All-League Shortstop Graylin McElvery ’22 can’t tear his eyes off of Major League Baseball. “I love watching the game and keeping up with all of my players,” McElvery said. “When you play the game yourself you really have a better appreciation for what the guys are doing.” 

Former rugby player Enzo Klaus ‘22 has noticed a similar effect. “It’s really cool when you know how hard it is physically,” Klaus said.

Students also watch sports so they may feel connected to cities and communities.For example, Nick Miller ‘22, a Celtics fan, watches sports as a way to stay true to his Boston roots. “I’ve been rooting for the Celtics the whole postseason, and I watch almost all of their games,” Miller said. “My dad is also a big Celtics fan, and it’s cool because it’s a way for my family to come together.” 

Klaus also agrees that sports are a great way to bring communities together. “The Giants have always been one of my favorite teams because I feel like they have really united San Francisco with their success over the past decade.” 

The growing popularity of fantasy sports also motivates students to watch sports. This fall and winter many athletic enthusiasts joined fantasy football and basketball leagues, and this spring multitudes of students filled out March Madness brackets—a betting tournament on the 64 team NCAA basketball final playoff. During this time, investment in sports consumption at Urban dramatically increased for some. “I did nothing but watch football on Sundays because of the fantasy football season,” said Klaus. “I was terribly addicted.”

McElvery says that fantasy sports have not only motivated him to watch sports in season, but have also built up his appreciation for sports as a whole. “I know more players in the league now, and that’s one of the reasons I kept watching.” 

However, the appeal of watching sports has not reached a sizable portion of the student body. When asked why they believe watching sports isn’t for them, non-sports viewers had a myriad of responses. 

“I didn’t really grow up in a sports family,” said Nicola McDermott ’23. “My dad is big on golf but as a family we never turn on big sporting events. I guess because of that I never really got into it myself.”

Whether or not students take part in sports culture, their family’s relationship with sports play a significant role in their viewership habits. McDermott also noted that watching sports just never appealed to her personally. “I’d rather just watch TV,” McDermott said. 

Josie Brenner ‘22, another Blue who rarely finds herself in front of ESPN, believes that popularized sports are not worthwhile. “I love sports but many of the popular ones are incredibly boring to watch from a couch,” Brenner said.