Before student athletes take the court and students pour into the bleachers, Northwestern Wildside members dutifully prepare free merchandise and distribute team information sheets inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Wildside has become a Northwestern Athletics mainstay, almost on par with graduate student men’s basketball player Boo Buie’s signature giant-killing floater. The group’s rise to prominence was not without hard work, however.
Weinberg junior and Wildside director of operations Nicholas Henner said the student group took off during the 2022-2023 basketball season because of its committed members.
“We work so well as a team,” Henner said. “It’s just this positive snowball where we’ve really become a prominent section and we’ve created a great home-field advantage at all our sporting events.”
Wildside works to cultivate the perfect gameday experience for fans and athletes by organizing giveaways, often selecting specific game themes. The club works with NU’s athletics and marketing departments to coordinate choosing and ordering products.
According to Weinberg junior and Wildside president Tyler Schreiber, the group chooses giveaways and themes with students in mind to generate optimal attendance and engagement.
“Our promotion of games has been really, really smart over this past year,” Schreiber said. “We’re sort of learning what students really want to see and understanding why they are wanting to come to games.”
Wildside’s impact extends far beyond the student section, even reaching the players on the playing surface, Medill sophomore and Wildside head of marketing and communications Dylan Friedland said.
Friedland said a high-energy and enthusiastic crowd is crucial for athletes to maintain endurance during a game. The Wildcats tend to play better with a full crowd, he added.
“We saw that a lot this year, going nine and one in (basketball) conference play at home,” Friedland said. “The only (nonconference loss) was the Chicago State game where students weren’t in the crowd. I think Northwestern for sure (would have won) that game if students were there.”
After a thrilling basketball season, Wildside is looking to expand recognition across other sports. Another goal for the group is continuing to increase attendance at sporting events.
“Our athletes here are so talented,” Henner said. “Student athletes work their tail off all year round, and I think they deserve to have these packed sections and to really create that sense of community and that connection.”
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Twitter: @lmschroeder_
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