Making homefield a real advantage

Steven Grandy

Sports Editor

Home Field Advantage.

We hear this phrase all the time describing how a particular team is able to play better at home. Whether it is the stadium, the location of the city, or the rowdiness of the fans, certain football teams have a definite advantage playing at home.

How does Wingate stack up?

All-time record at Irwin Belk Stadium: 39-22 entering Saturday’s game. Check
Location: Have you ever been outside when the wind is blowing from the direction of the chicken plant? Check plus.
Fans: Hit or miss. Wingate has averaged 3,028 fans through four home games, but the figure is boosted by a large 3,872 figure from homecoming. Compare that to the number of fans who went to the second home game against North Greenville on Labor Day weekend, which happened to be 2,497.

You read that correctly. The only thing preventing a true Wingate home advantage happens to be the fans in the stands. I have seen more students show up at high school games than I’ve see here. You, the students are the only thing that prevents Wingate from having a true home field advantage. Thankfully, a chance at redemption is offered this weekend.

This Saturday is the biggest game of the season as the Bulldogs will host 18-ranked Carson-Newman at 1:30 p.m. Carson-Newman is ranked second in NCAA Super Region 2, while Wingate is ranked ninth. The Bulldogs have a chance to make the playoffs for the first time in school history if they win the last two games and finish in the top six.

Many students may have the opinion that because Wingate is Division II that they could not possibly play any big-time teams. Wrong. Carson-Newman has won the South Atlantic Conference title a whopping 20 times. The Eagles are in position to win it again this year, as Wingate is the last real test separating the Eagles from their 21st title and 17 in the past 21 years. Carson-Newman has also played in the NCAA Division II National Championship game four times. By comparison, only one other program in the conference has reached the semifinals.

I have heard complaints from people saying that there is nothing to do at Wingate and they choose to go to other schools for the weekend. While an argument can be made for this on away weekends, this reasoning does not hold any water when there is a home game. A football game lasts for around three hours during the middle of a Saturday afternoon. How is this not something to do? Even if you aren’t a football fan, more students will be at a game than at the pool or in the library during a home afternoon. At least go to the game to hang out. Wingate students are fortunate to even have a football team, as many small, private schools choose not to field the sport due to the high cost. Like it or not, the public opinion of colleges and universities are affected by the record of the football team, or if they have a team or not. A key part of the college experience is football, and if you don’t go to the games, you are depriving yourself of a very important part of college life.

Some schools in the SAC have a team but must play at an off-campus site. Wingate has one of the nicest stadiums in the conference. Irwin Belk Stadium has a great location because it is close enough for students to walk to, yet it has plenty of open space for fans to tailgate, work on their cornhole skills or mingle with other fans. The architects did a great job when building the stadium, as the sight lines are excellent from every single section in the stadium and the fans are close to the field.

Looking at the grandstands before and after halftime, I notice that the amount of gray that I see increases after the 20 minute break. Unless it is 33° with a driving rain I see no reason to ever leave at halftime. Regardless of the score, the game is not over until all 60 minutes have been played. Wingate’s game at Lenoir-Rhyne is a great example of why a fan should never leave until the end. The Bulldogs were down by three touchdowns at two points in the game. Did they quit? No. They came back and scored the game winning touchdown with less than a minute to play to earn a 50-49 win. Nothing is official until the coaches shake hands at midfield after the game.

Speaking of the weather, the long-range forecast for Saturday is for a high of 79 degrees. This is about as good as it gets for fall weather in North Carolina. It will not be as hot as some of the earlier games this season, nor will it be as cold as it was for the Homecoming game. Although Saturday is Halloween, the festivities do not usually start until after sunset. For those of you choosing to go celebrate the holiday with friends at a different campus, that’s fine. However, if they are good friends, they will understand that you have friends here to support before you can venture off and visit them. It also happens to be the last regular season home football game and Senior Day. This year’s seniors have won more games than any previous class. They deserve your support and each of them will give everything that they have to pick up a victory.

Now that you have decided to attend the game, the enthusiasm that Wingate have somewhere in themselves is needed. If a can of body paint is located in your apartment, break it out and paint up. When Carson-Newman has the ball and is facing a third down, stand up and cheer. My challenge to you, the readers, is this: If you are physically able to go to Saturday’s game, be there. Put your other plans aside and instead spend your Saturday afternoon cheering for the Bulldogs. Let’s fill Irwin Belk Stadium to the brim, turn the stadium into a sea of blue and gold, and give the football players the home field advantage that they deserve.