It’s a continuous concern for high school athletes to get fans to come to their games and feel supported by the student body. Everybody wants to feel equally important, from football to bowling, across the board.

I’ve never been one to expect equality among sports. I’ve experienced it first hand; most people don’t even consider dance a sport. I’m not saying we should all be dance fanatics. I understand why some sports are more popular than others. It’s about the atmosphere; it’s fun to be in the crowd, hanging out with friends, at football and basketball games. Not to mention those games are usually on Friday nights, making them that much more appealing. That’s understandable. However, whether you want to go and watch the sport or not, it is important for a school to support all of its sports and athletes. If nothing more, all variety of teams deserve respect.

All teams and the athletes that make them up work incredibly hard. They practice countless hours and put their hearts and souls into the game. Athletes show incredible dedication and passion. With that said, each individual sport deserves to be respected for the effort they put in. You don’t have to like the sport, the team, the coach or anything else about it. The least you could do is be respectful of them, win or lose.

Some of our sports haven’t been as successful as they’ve been in the past. That doesn’t mean we should rag on the players. They are still working hard and trying to best represent Antioch Community High School. Also, it is important that we allow successful teams to be happy for themselves and share their successes, whether you care or not. I think it’s great when a team is successful in a tournament or competition, whether I’m interested in the sport or not. They are representing ACHS regardless, and we should be united. Being disrespectful to a winning team won’t make your losing team any better. Attacking a losing team won’t help them win. We are one school, and we should have a united front no matter what.

I’m not saying you should go to every game and be a super fan. I’m just suggesting that it wouldn’t hurt to be more sensitive to those who work hard at what they do. And if you have nothing nice to say, just don’t say it at all.