Northwestern’s baseball team took over storied Wrigley Field on Saturday, marking what is essentially the University’s down payment to Chicago for marketing itself as the city’s Big Ten team. The game was the first to come out of a deal between University and Wrigley officials to move a portion of NU athletic events to the historic ballpark. About 4,200 spectators — mostly NU fans — dotted the stands during the shutout victory against Michigan. This is many more than the number of people who usually attend Rocky Miller Park in Evanston, but only a fraction of Wrigley’s more than 40,000 seats were filled. Though players and coaches were excited by the turnout of NU alumni and others rooting for the team, students were not heavily represented in the stands. The athletic department went the extra mile to secure this partnership with Wrigley, so students should meet them halfway by jumping on the El to Addison and supporting their teams in a world-famous stadium.
The opportunity for students to root for their college team in a novelty ballpark is not available at most universities, let alone those with lackluster fan bases like NU. A short El ride away, Wrigley is just about as accessible as Rocky Miller Park, which has no free, direct transportation option from campus. Surely it’s worth shelling out a mere $7 to root for NU teams in the heart of Wrigleyville.
But though The Daily believes student turnout at the game could have been better, we also acknowledge that the lack of in-person support may have stemmed from the ghost of a promotional campaign put on by the athletic department. Students may have had a vague idea about the game, but they were not given salient instructions for purchasing tickets on enough online platforms. The athletic department worked hard to make the partnership with Wrigley come to fruition, and they must continue to make it meaningful to the NU community by aggressively urging students to attend sporting events. To ensure more turnout in the future, officials should send more email blasts and utilize Facebook events in order to most effectively reach out to students on the mediums they actually use.
NU’s partnership with Wrigley proves very promising for marketing, especially for lacrosse games. Historically NU’s most successful varsity team, lacrosse already sells out Lakeside Field, and with its large following, it will likely attract an even bigger audience at Wrigley. The team is also slated to play Notre Dame at Wrigley next year. The strong Fighting Irish fan base should entice NU fans to show up and support their team with the same fervor.
Ultimately, the athletic department’s partnership with Wrigley will be beneficial to NU. However, the University must push and prod students to attend these games — we all know how unenthused the student population can be regarding sports. At the same time, students must take the initiative to show their support for this novel opportunity. Only the combination of these forces will allow NU to truly become Chicago’s Big Ten team.
