At Vashon High School, we have many different sports to choose from and watch. Some sports are more beloved by the school to watch than others, and a few tend to be somewhat ignored by the school. The question is, why are some sports more popular among students than others?
“Boys tennis is not very popular whatsoever, not really talked about during assemblies and isn’t attended by students,” Senior Charlie Walker said. Due to the nature of tennis, it’s not highly likely to attract students for its spirit or energy.
“It’s very calm, more of a country club sport, a lot less hype too,” Walker said. Because of this, the sport seems to be sweeped under the rug, with students less inclined to join tennis or watch due to the small courts, and overall disinterest in what it has to offer.
Volleyball games have much higher energy, with our players going into every game giving it their all. But whether the games are packed seems to vary on the day. This can make it seem as if our school games, to the students at least, are more of an excuse to get together with friends.
“Our first game was very packed and a lot of students showed, but the only other games that seem to have a lot of people there are our Friday games,” Senior Mylie Limont said. Even if there aren’t a lot of people, volleyball is a fairly active, fast paced sport, which adds to the overall enjoyment.
“The energy is super awesome though, it’s very fun for everyone especially when a lot of people show,” Limont said. This serves to attract people for its entertainment value, and keep people coming back to support.
Although volleyball may not be the most renowned sport we have to offer, it still fills the stands. But there’s another sport that does that better.
American football, the pinnacle of sports popularity, with the high energy and packed stadiums, and fans all across the world are motivated to watch. However, for a school sport, whether it is more popular or not seems to rely on the social factor of the students, and the best example of this is our own football games.
“Our home games tend to bring students from all grades together. Most likely because of the energy football and our team bring to our field,” Senior Phoenix Moore said.
The student section doesn’t care if our team wins or loses, because we value being able to come together to support our team.
“The team is always excited to get out there, even if we know we will lose. The best part is having the support from the entire student section, they always come with the best energy and excitement to see us play,” Moore said. Because of all of this, football stays at the top of popularity, and others seem to fall out of the student eyes.
In conclusion, sports will only gain a lot of popularity for its socialization and energy factors, with sports like tennis not garnering as much attention because of the calm atmosphere. On the other hand, sports like volleyball and football will stay the most popular because of their potential for our school spirit to shine.