AU Blue Crew, the recently launched student fan group aimed toward a stronger focus on the university's athletic teams, has grown in number and spirit in the past three months, with more than 580 members, as opposed to the previous 25-member Screaming Eagles, according to Vice President for Finance Ryan Spilhaus.
"In my opinion, the Blue Crew has done more in the past three months, both in terms of membership and events, than has been done in the past three years combined from a student fan group perspective," Spilhaus said.
With the success of the university's athletic department in the past season, the Blue Crew is more supportive and enthusiastic of each athletic win than ever before.
"At AU, we have some of the best collegiate athletes in the world," said Joe Vidulich, president of the AU Blue Crew, in an e-mail. "We have wrestlers who rank among top in the nation. We have a basketball team that ESPN.com, The Washington Post and Washington Times said should be one to watch to go far. ... The list goes on and on. We need people to recognize this."
Possible reasons behind students not recognizing AU athletics is the university's lack of a football team, which is essential to school spirit, according to Laura Wolz, a freshman in the School of Communication.
AU's title as one of the most politically active campuses in the nation has been more emphasized by students, The Eagle previously reported.
"AU does not have a lot of school spirit when it comes to sports, but there is a lot of pride in our academics, our community and our city," Wolz said.
With the Blue Crew, athletics are getting more exposure and support from the university.
In the past season, the Blue Crew helped organize the Women's Field Hockey Blow Out, Phil Reeves and the 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament to promote excitement and student involvement. They've also been focusing on the pep rally for the men's and women's basketball season held on Monday, called "Yell Like Hell," according to Vidulich.
Vidulich said the purpose of the Blue Crew is to build excitement leading up to various athletic games.
"Beyond just people coming to games, we want to see people excited," he said. "We're one of the top political schools in the nation, but if you ask students on the quad what they take pride in, no one says athletics. We want to see more events focused on sports"
