The community college level of athletics offers the unique opportunity for standout players on the field and in the classroom to move on and participate at major colleges around the country. Some of these players are even fortunate enough to go on and become professionals.
Sporting events at Bakersfield College provide the opportunity for students to see their fellow classmates participate in athletics. Through admission charges, the money generated also provides a percentage of the funding needed to maintain athletics, said BC Athletics Director Jan Stuebbe.
BC has geared its sporting events to be very student friendly. According to Stuebbe, BC football during the fall season generates the most revenue. Memorial Stadium, after its recent renovation, is a beautiful venue to watch college sports. Season tickets ranged from $25 to $50. Single-game tickets started at just $6.
The BC men and women’s track and field teams also hold their track meets at Memorial Stadium. These events are free for students to attend. Meets usually last a few hours and consist of about 22 events, counting the men and women events. There are other community colleges that participate as well, which makes for a very competitive atmosphere.
Other free sports include men and women’s tennis. Sometimes, there is a fee to attend games on campus, such as volleyball, baseball or softball, but it is usually between $1 and $5, depending on the sport.
There are a variety of people who take time out of their busy schedules to cheer on the Renegades. Family and friends of the players are a regular at most of the games. There are also coaches, players and fans from visiting teams who are in the stands, as well as local media.
Many times, however, there are just not enough resources financially at a student’s disposal for attending sporting events. Not being a sports fan also takes away from the willingness to depart with much needed money. The time it takes to actually attend games is also a major hurdle for students to overcome, since classwork should always comes first.
But most true sports fans will agree that playing or watching sports on television and physically being at the event are two completely different things. The passion, the enthusiasm and the energy simply cannot be matched by just sitting in the old recliner with a can of Pringles and a bag of beef jerky. You have to be in the stands cheering, yelling and celebrating with the teams to get the full experience.
Participation in sports at any level teaches the same skills that ultimately can be transformed back into the classroom. Professors always stress the importance of teamwork, respect and knowledge in their particular subjects. Coaches are no different. Most BC coaches hold master’s degrees and teach classes on campus, as well. A few are even attending classes to gain additional degrees.
More and more athletes who did not initially finish college are returning during their off-seasons to complete their degrees and drum up support for their alma maters. Last year, both Shaquille O’Neal of the Los Angeles Lakers and Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors finished their remaining classes to earn their degrees after leaving school early. Both of these athletes, and many more, have established foundations that provide group tickets for schools and other organizations working with young people and students to come to professional arenas and watch their games. It’s a great way for these multimillion dollar athletes to thank all of their fans and provide a guide for the next generation of athletes, some of whom may be attending BC, to follow once they finish college.