By: Marie Jen Galilo, Staff Writer

Did you know that SFU has 10 sports categories, including basketball, soccer, wrestling, swimming, cross country, track and field, golf, and softball? Because I sure didn’t. From 2000 to 2010 SFU sports teams had major successes — the women’s wrestling team won six national championships, while the men’s wrestling team won two, and women’s basketball won five. Recently, the SFU track and field team, “finished third overall while recording 23 podium finishes, including eight gold medals” in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, according to Championship Mark. SFU’s athletes and sports staff pour their blood, sweat, and tears into making these achievements possible — and yet we rarely hear about our sports teams due to the jarring lack of on-campus sports promotions. 

I’ve been at SFU for four years now, but I almost never hear about our sports teams or upcoming games. SFU sports sometimes come up in conversations when I have classmates who are athletes. In the AQ, I occasionally see a poster or two about sports camps and the SFU Fitness Centre. SFU’s official Instagram account occasionally reposts content from their athletics department, but that’s all I’ve seen in terms of promotions.

The lack of promotion for campus sports was exacerbated by SFU’s budget cuts in 2024, which led to the dismissal of SFU’s sports and information department — the one that was in charge of promoting SFU’s sports teams on social media. This puts the responsibility on students to keep themselves up to date on campus sports — a responsibility that should be SFU’s, these are their teams after all. 

With all these reasons to not be connected, why should you care about SFU sports, then? For one, engaging with campus sports and identifying with our teams could help with our lack of school spirit. SFU is known to be a “commuter campus” where many students leave as soon as classes end. Attending sports events gives students the opportunity to connect with each other and be part of a collective audience, which can help them feel more strongly connected to the broader campus community. Additionally, watching live sports can improve your mental well-being by activating your brain’s reward system, resulting in positive feelings such as happiness and satisfaction. 

It’s hard to know if SFU’s sports information department will ever return. Does that mean the university will train each team on social media and marketing strategies? Probably not. However, it’s also important to note that online presence can’t replace a physical one. Some students don’t use social media, or don’t interact with SFU’s posts. Posters and promotions on campus TV screens are another way to reach students. The athletics department could also host a sports team day, similar to SFSS’s clubs day, to give students an opportunity to interact with our athletes. 

While we aren’t responsible for bridging the disconnect between students and campus sports, we can recognize the importance of our sports teams and increase engagement with it.

This would not only improve our school spirit and personal fitness, but also give our athletes the recognition they deserve and the support they need to keep on thriving by boosting confidence and performance.