Why Was My High School More Fun Than Harvard?

Harvard has one of the best football teams in the Ivy League. With Saturday’s thrilling last-second victory over the University of Pennsylvania, we clinched a share of the Ivy League title for the second straight year.

Why, then, are the stands always empty?

Granted, we’re at Harvard, not the University of Michigan. No one came here expecting ESPN to camp out in the Yard. Harvard’s strength is in its academics, and that’s exactly how it should be.

But the fact that Harvard Stadium hasn’t even come close to reaching capacity this season is outright embarrassing. Students constantly whine about the fact that Harvard isn’t fun — well, maybe that’s because we have a collective aversion to one of the most quintessentially collegiate activities in the book.

Although our football games typically have poor attendance, there is one event each year that draws big crowds: the Harvard-Yale football game. For one day a year, the stadium is filled with sounds of cheering, and everywhere you look, it’s a sea of crimson. The atmosphere is electric, creating a community event that is much bigger than a single football game.

Harvard-Yale shouldn’t be the only time students have school spirit. Imagine a student section where themes and traditions make every Saturday unforgettable, where every game has the enthusiasm of Harvard-Yale.

I’m a rookie on the Harvard Crimson dance team. When dancing for a small crowd at the regular Harvard games, I am reminded of my high school football games, which, believe it or not, were more lively than the college ones. Every week, the student section would show out in themes like “USA” or “white-out.” I once spent my Friday afternoon shopping around to find a lei because the student section theme for the game was “Hawaii.” These simple traditions made every game feel special, not just the rivalry ones.

Each Friday, I could look forward to a night of fun. Now, I don’t even know Harvard’s fight song.

It is exponentially more fun and fulfilling to pour my blood, sweat, and tears into a dance when the stadium is full rather than when it is empty. I know my friends in the cheer squad and the marching band feel similarly. The louder and fuller the stadium, the more we feel driven to perform our best.

With more students attending each game, the boost to the morale of those on the field isn’t the only benefit — the fans experience a shared pride that builds school spirit beyond the stands. We have the power to make Harvard Stadium a true home-field advantage, one that amplifies every chant, every cheer, and every play.

Finally, better attendance may actually make our football team play better. Research about “home-field advantage” indicates that teams improve their performance when they play at their typical court, stadium, or arena. A cheering crowd can’t hurt our performance.

So if you’re tired of complaining that Harvard isn’t fun, show up this Saturday as we play Yale for the rest of the Ivy League title. Then keep showing up next season. A championship-caliber team deserves championship-caliber support.

Kelli D. Higgins ’28, a Crimson Editorial comper, lives in Thayer Hall.