EDITORIAL – Pride plan dependent on student support

Athletic director Steve Pederson’s announcement that he hopes to start selling out Pitt… Athletic director Steve Pederson’s announcement that he hopes to start selling out Pitt football games might seem overly ambitious to those of us who follow Pitt athletics. But this kind of optimism could be exactly what the athletics department needs to promote increased attendance and interest in a program that has been struggling for several years.

Pederson has proposed a plan that he hopes will set off the turn around in student attendance at football games. First, he plans to lower ticket prices across the board. The price of student season tickets will be virtually cut in half, from the current price of $49 to $25. Non-student season tickets will also go for less. Additionally, the athletics department plans to offer season ticket holders the opportunity to purchase a season parking pass for $60 – the same cost the department pays for them.

Besides cutting ticket prices, the athletic department plans to offer more gameday activities, including the “World’s largest family block party” and the “World’s largest student bash.” (We’re assuming these events aren’t occurring simultaneously.)

Since Pitt rerouted its football games to Heinz Field in 2001, turnout has been notoriously low. In part, this is because we’ve had mediocre football seasons, but it’s also because students haven’t been keen to take a two-mile (albeit free) bus ride Downtown to see our team play. Heinz Field, which seats more than 60,000 people, seems incredibly difficult to fill for Pitt football.

While lower season ticket prices and more gameday events might increase student turnout at some games, ultimately, selling out football games for an entire season will take more than that. In order to sell out football games the way that rival programs West Virginia and Penn State do, we need to develop a culture of fan support that stays loyal to the football team – win or lose, season after season.

Part of this culture is having a good team. Our football team has underperformed recently, but momentum from Pitt’s upset win against West Virginia, coupled with a strong recruiting class and several key returning players, could signal the beginning of what the athletics department hopes will be a series of winning seasons.

The athletics department has proposed an impressive plan to bring more students out to Heinz Field to watch our football team and we applaud the effort, but part of the burden is also on us. Of course, it’s sometimes hard to find the motivation to head downtown to watch our team play (especially when we lose), but building a culture of school pride needs to come from the students.

We call on students to take advantage of the athletics department’s efforts to increase football game turnout. Well-attended football games are a reflection of pride in the university community, from students and alumni to faculty and staff.