Here They Come

Among the incoming freshmen who have been working out on Memorial Field this month have been quarterbacks Cole Marcoux and Andy Gay as well as defensive back/wide receiver Clay Robbins. The Daily Dartmouth has a story.

The Daily D also has an editorial about school spirit and a perceived lack of it toward Big Green athletic teams. From the story:

... (D)espite our collective affinity for physical activity, many of our varsity teams frequently play to depressingly empty arenas, fields and stadiums. Even high-stakes games for successful programs draw paltry crowds (“Empty stands at Dartmouth: Fan culture stagnates despite teams’ successes,” April 13, 2009). At home games, opposing fans are often louder and more visible than Dartmouth supporters are.

The editorial also includes the following:

Dartmouth students do not lack spirit — they routinely show incredible enthusiasm for the College as an institution in a number of ways. When the athletic department makes no effort to court students, however, their enthusiasm remains detached from athletic programs.

Green Alert Take: One of the facts of life in a college situation is that students graduate and move on, so institutional memory can be lacking. It's fair to say the athletic department doesn't do as much as the students might like. But having been a close observer of the Dartmouth athletic scene for a long time, I can tell you the athletic department has indeed tried a great many initiatives over the years to get students in the stands and is much more active in that regard than it was in the past. In the final analysis, only one thing will be successful: success.

*

Anyone who knows me will not be surprised when I admit I'm something of a prude. There, I said it. Maybe that's why the headline for this Columbia Spectator story on the Ivy League football media day bothered me. Maybe it's because I worked as a writer and editor at newspapers for a long time and took my profession seriously. I'm sure the headline was supposed to be funny.

*

The once-dormant web site for Week One opponent Bucknell is delivering the goods. Click here for a report on the first Bison two-a-day along with a pretty nice video report.

*

The Forbes college rankings are out and Dartmouth sits at No. 30. Here's the top five, all the Ivy League schools and Dartmouth's current and future football opponents:

Top Five
1. Williams
2. Princeton
3. Amherst
4. United States Military Academy
5. MIT

Other Ivies
8. Harvard
10. Yale
13. Columbia
30. Dartmouth
36. Penn
45. Brown
70. Cornell

Football Opponents
28. Colgate
39. Holy Cross
52. Georgetown
56. Bucknell
332. Butler
371. New Hampshire

For some reason, Week Two opponent Sacred Heart is not ranked.

In case you were wondering, the list goes up to No. 610 Coastal Carolina.

And in case you are wondering, given the frequent references here to a certain school in Central PA, the Nittany Lion Nation is No. 192.

*

And finally, regarding Big Green Alert Premium – Accounts that have not been renewed have been deactivated automatically. If you already sent payment and your account has been incorrectly deactivated, or you need your password/username sent to you, email me.

*

Tonight on BGA: the Cornell preview.