Make Rice a tailgating school again
What seems to be the last Bayou Bucket Classic is in three days. Will students show up for the crosstown rivalry?
After beating the University of Louisiana at Lafayette last Saturday, the football team will return to Rice Stadium for the first home game of the season. As the two-score underdogs last week, the Owls were expected to get pummeled by the Ragin’ Cajuns and their Ole Miss transfer quarterback. Instead, Scott Abell’s new offensive strategy — which exploits defensive weaknesses to give us a more competitive edge against better teams — commanded the field.
Following the win, Abell said he hoped Rice fans were watching and would continue to watch the team.
It’s important that Rice students listen to Abell’s request and show up for the Bayou Bucket, not only because there are no future games between Rice and the University of Houston scheduled, but also because Rice football culture needs revival, regardless of the opponent.
In a stadium that once held up to 70,000 fans, last season’s average attendance of 18,143 fans looked abysmal.
The athletic department has tried to get students to games by implementing a shuttle service, offering giveaways and hosting pep rallies, the first of which is at 6:30 p.m. on Friday in the academic quad.
Just last month, the department announced the relocation of the student section to an area of the stadium that is more shaded. The university is trying to make the game day experience more fun and comfortable, and now it’s up to the students to take the university up on all of its offers.
At its core, the problem is a weak sports culture. It doesn’t have to stay that way.
The football team won its opening game, and women’s soccer boasts a 4-1 record so far. Last season, the swim and dive team won the conference championship, and the track and field team had three athletes compete in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Improving Rice’s sports culture can be fun for both student athletes and non-student athletes. Students need to start showing up, and we may be able to solve two cultural problems at once.
Rice students want to party, dangerously so. Two weeks ago, the first wet night of the year saw significantly more medical transports than in previous years. Drinking culture has the potential to get out of hand because of excessive pregaming and the expectation that the night has to end in a blackout.
However, publics do not have to be the only way students at Rice can party. Football games are the perfect opportunity to get rowdy and still drink (legally) with friends.
The student section is in the shade, the concessions have alcohol and snacks and the football team is 1-0 this season. Is there a better way to spend three hours on your Saturday night?
While neither UH nor Rice has advertised that this may be the final Bayou Bucket, the teams are not set to play each other within the next 10 seasons.
This could be Rice’s opportunity to bring home the bucket forever, and the football team deserves to make the effort with the student body supporting them.
Editor’s Note: Thresher editorials are collectively written by the members of the Thresher’s editorial board. Current members include Sarah Knowlton, Kathleen Ortiz, Juliana Lightsey, James Cancelarich, Noa Berz, Jenna Perrone, Arman Saxena, Andersen Pickard and Evie Vu. Sports editor Andersen Pickard recused himself from this editorial due to corresponding reporting in the sports section.
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