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De La Torre V p2 92439
De La Torre V p2 92439
Vanessa De La Torre
Abstract
This paper is talking about the impact of Arizona State University sporting events on the student
body of ASU. This research dives into the bigger picture of community that the different events
bring, as well as focusing on individual stories of first-encounter students and university faculty
who have observed students’ behavior in relation to a sporting event. Another aspect is looking
closer at the societal expectations that ASU students have brought to game day, and why it is so
important that we must attend. Most of the research is coming from football games, as it attracts
the largest student audience out of the sports offered at ASU, but not limited to. Students of
different cohorts, majors, campuses and sports backgrounds were interviewed. Both home and
away games were utilized to observe student behavior at the stadium, in their classrooms, and in
Here at Arizona State University, every college sporting event is free to a student with
access to a phone and their student ID. I am curious about why that statement is true, versus at
other universities where students pay for their individual tickets in the student section or buy the
yearly pass to be able to attend. I hope to discover the purpose of the behind the scenes to
sporting games. I want to find the motives of the clubs that organize the pregame events as well
as find out what the phrase “game day” means to students on a more individual level.
● Who goes to the big stadium games? (mostly Football but also basketball)
● How does game day affect student’s way of viewing themselves and their community?
● What are the motives of the university and university affiliated organizations when they
put in so much time, effort and money to making game day or sporting game related
events possible?
● How do sports affect your close group of friends and how do you believe that it affects
● Do you believe that sports have any relation to academics, say the day before or the next
● Expand on this: Students that attend the big sports games are more likely to … ?
● When you think of the phrase “pregaming activities” what do you automatically think of?
For faculty:
● How do you believe sports games affect students socially in the classroom?
The floor ten lounge at Taylor No Contact ASU @ San Diego State - Sept
Place residential hall at the 120 E Taylor Street, Phoenix, AZ 15
Downtown ASU Campus. 85004 ASU @ Colorado - Oct. 6
Phoenix, AZ Two Barrett Honors College floors ASU @ Oregon - Nov. 17
connected by one common area
with TV
The Taylor Place dining hall, No Contact ASU @ San Diego State - Sept
containing three TV’s for 120 E Taylor Street, Phoenix, AZ 15
student’s to freely use. 85004
Only dining hall on downtown
campus
Mill Mall, ASU Tempe Campus No Contact ASU vs. Utah - Nov 3
home for pregame tailgates. Mill Mall campus courtyard area,
Tempe, AZ 85281
Tailgating space open for student
run organizations to host activities,
IMPACT OF ATHLETICS ON STUDENT BODY
6
Arizona State University has a long tradition of filling the student section with the “sea of
gold.” As a student, it is a custom in the community to wear yellow-gold attire, more specifically
T-shirts, illuminating the bleachers with Sun Devil pride. It’s origin came from the ASU fight
song, “Cheer, cheer for A-S-U, fight for the old maroon and gold!” Due to this, university
funding is even used for giving out free gold shirts at orientation, encouraging to wear them to
sports games. One of the observations I looked into was the motive behind picking one color,
versus filling up the student section with maroon and gold like how most collegiate sports
sections use both their team colors to resemble the enthusiasm of the school. Alisa Murphy, a
sophomore majoring in journalism, says it brings life to a routine. “If every game you wear
yellow, it becomes a meaningless habit. ‘Maroon Monsoon’ or ‘Blackouts’ leave people on their
toes, and gives everyone a chance to plan their outfits together. I’ve seen girls go out to the mall
together looking for their maroon tops together, and overheard guys having conversations about
buying black paint to paint their chests together for game day.” No matter what campus you’re
from or year, major, ethnicity, race, or gender you are, you always belong to something special
with a gold t-shirt on and your pitchfork held high above your head here at ASU.
IMPACT OF ATHLETICS ON STUDENT BODY
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1. “Game day and wearing gold brings pride and rivalry! When I see a Wildcat roaming
around Tempe or Phoenix I make sure to flash up that fork sign. When ASU wins a big
game, I strut around with my ASU attire and yell ‘Go Devils’ to anyone who walks by
with an ASU shirt on! Football (and any sport) gives the community a day of instant
The significance of this is Murphy’s emphasis on how when student’s run into
someone wearing the shirt, there is automatically a chance to remind someone that they
belong to something important and make someone’s day. Wearing ASU attire is not only
representing your roots but pridefully showcasing the enthusiasm ASU students embody
regardless of who they are talking to, expressing their genuine gratitude towards the
2. “Sports help keep kids out of trouble and gives them something to support and cheer. It
brings the ASU student body closer together” Alexis Paynter, class of 2022
The significance of this is is Paynter’s idea of why Arizona State does not charge
students to attend any sports games, while other universities include some sort of ticket
or season pass payment to attend a game. One other important artifact is their ticket itself,
as it symbolizes the reward that the school wants to give to their students for their hard
work and dedication in the classroom. The university encourages students to attend
games to make connections, demonstrate our devotion to boost student success on the
IMPACT OF ATHLETICS ON STUDENT BODY
8
field and make memories as broke young adults already having to pay for loans,
textbooks, etc.
3. “Gameday is where I rally. I eat lots good free food and I let out all the energy I had
during the week to go run around, tailgate and throw a football around with the guys. You
can’t really do that during the week with all the studying as a med student, but once that
Friday hits, it’s time to relieve the stress of needing to get a good score on my test the
The significance of this is the phrase “free food” because many different
funding on providing free food to students in order to ease them into the pre-game events,
leading them to the game. This is another large contribution to the amount of students
attending, as the majority of them are on limited meal plans and will take any food given
to them.
IMPACT OF ATHLETICS ON STUDENT BODY
9
Although there weren’t many objects to really analyze the importance of, of the ones that
I could it was very evident how big the impact is throughout the entire student community. ASU
has four campuses: Tempe, Downtown, West and Polytechnic and students from all four still
make a strong effort to exemplify the integrity and character of a Sun Devil by commuting the
long distance away that the sporting events take place at. For example, the downtown campus
purposely hosts their tailgate about five hours before the game itself, so that when it ends three
hours before the game commences there is plenty of time to light rail from downtown to Tempe.
I observed many conversations of downtown students conversing with each other as they wait in
the very long line to purchase their light rail pass and introduce themselves. I overheard different
people actually meet other students from their major and as we hopped off the light rail they
were talking about meeting up later in the week to student for an exam together as they are
taking the same classes. One student in particular, junior Rhodes Martin, spoke about meeting
his roommate at a game, when they had never seen each other on the downtown campus. “I
ended up sitting next to [my roommate] at the game because it was the only available seat I could
find. Turns out he’s in my major, in Barrett, and we instantly became best friends. Next thing
you know, we are roommates this year. It’s crazy how you meet super cool people at the games,
I’ve made most of my memories and my friends on game day.” Martin also expressed that he
engages with anyone wearing a gold T-shirt on the street because “those are my people, we are
proud of who we are and no one is left out. It’s not hard to be friendly.” Here at Arizona State
University, gold t-shirts aren’t just for “gold fridays” or for matching with your roommate for
instagram, it’s a badge of recognition, because being a Sun Devil means being a person of
Although the most obvious choice to focus on would be to observe behavior at the home
stadium itself, I decided to take a different position. Home is where the heart is, so every student
feels like a part of something important surrounded by 20,000 others going through similar paths.
Another place where students and sporting games collide is the lounge on each floor of a
residential hall. At Taylor Place, the downtown campus residential hall, two floors of the same
college are connected by one lounge with couches and a television. Every home game there is a
watch party. In reality, most college students have a TV in their room nowadays, but they prefer
to go outside to watch it in the lounge. According to Lance Lim a freshman living on the Barrett
floors, “It’s not about the game. It’s about getting together in your pajamas to yell at the TV
together. People bring out their speakers, others bring out their laptops to do homework, and the
residential assistants put little flyers on doors to remind us when the next watch party is.
Sometimes I see people at the watch party and I’ve never even realized they live 3 doors down
from me, and they end up being really fun!” Floor lounges bring a diverse atmosphere, giving the
students a space to relax and relieve stress while they watch the game, even if it’s a home game.
IMPACT OF ATHLETICS ON STUDENT BODY
11
4. “I like the atmosphere in the floor ten lounge. Sometimes I try to do my homework out
there on game day, but we all know that isn’t going to happen. But for the record, I at
least talk about my assignments with my floormates, then we do it together like the next
day or something. I remember meeting [one of my floormates] at a watch party for SDSU
and then the next day we studied for our chem test, which we both got a 90 on by the
who perform well on the field tend to do well in the classroom. Student athletes are
minimizing graduation gaps by making sure to keep up their grade point average.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that the student achievement is spreading into the bleachers (or
in this case lounge, and showcasing that students who get together to watch the game also
gather to work on their studies together. Success comes in all different platforms and
ASU students will encourage all personal and academic growth of their college mates.
5. “You wouldn’t think you could get serious business connections on game day, but with
all the pregame events going on, there are tons of tents to visit on Mill so you meet
people that actually could benefit your career. For example, I actually went to check out
the study abroad table last semester to get information about a program in Spain, and now
I work at that table on game day! Super cool because I can put that experience on my
The significance of this is the networking that goes on during the tailgate at Mill
Mall on the Tempe campus. Not even purposely are the companies or organizations out
there to recruit students, but where there is an opportunity, you take it.
6. “One of my favorite times of the year is family weekend. Going to the game with my
mom, dad and younger brother is super fun because I get to show them different parts of
campus while we still cheer on our team. Well, my team. They are wildcat fans, but when
it’s family weekend it’s about their son, so wildcats don’t matter. Go sun devils! It brings
me closer to my family, it feels like those perfect family scenes in the movies where the
kids and dad are playing football and the mom is just laughing and taking pictures of us.”
The significance of this is not only growing closer to those at who attend ASU,
but as well as family. When you move away from home, it’s hard to keep motivated in
your studies because you miss your family. Those small moments throughout the
semester can fuel lots of moments of gratitude and motivation. It is important for students
to also connect with their family and game day can make that happen.
IMPACT OF ATHLETICS ON STUDENT BODY
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For the student athletes participating in the game, football serves as their outlet. Marco
Salas, freshman offensive line playing for the team, says that “football gives me a sense of home,
along as giving me a place to thrive. I’m not the best at school stuff, but it definitely helps me,
and not even because I have to keep my grades up to stay on the team. A lot of the team actually
gets together to work on stuff, and we all push each other in our studies and on the field, too. Us
Devils have to win the game!... or at least try our best effort to.” Game day bring opportunity for
personal growth through growing closer to friends, networking and meeting business people, as
well as building a stronger foundation of academic dedication. Another example of this is the
annual trip that the alumni association sponsors. Every year, the organization fundraises to take
three hundred students of different majors and cohorts on a 24 turnaround trip to a USC or
UCLA game versus Arizona State, costing only $50 or less, while the actual cost is $250 per
student. In order for the student to be able to attend the trip, they must be in good academic
standing. Sporting events not only impact the grades of students, but also give students a chance
to connect with their classmates. “Every Monday after a game, my professor always likes to talk
about the game for about three minutes to bring up the energy in the room. Even the people that
didn’t watch the game get to laugh along with the class as the professor talks about his opinion
on what happened the Saturday night prior.” Freshman Celina Lozano speaks about her view on
how games give people a reason to talk to each other, because “you can talk about football with a
stranger and it won’t be awkward, rather than something you personally did this weekend. They
don’t really care, you don’t really care much to tell them either. Football makes life easy.”
IMPACT OF ATHLETICS ON STUDENT BODY
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As Catholics attend mass on Sundays, students make it a tradition every home game in
football and basketball to attend. “Devils on Mill” is Tempe’s traditional campus wide tailgate
where families bring their RVs, clubs bring out their tents and students spend quality time
thinking of where they are going to take their instagram picture and what they are going to title
it. In “The Holy Game” Finebaum writes about how college football days are looked at such a
serious scale they are like the new “holy days” and comparing religion to the customs that are
entitled to the phrase “Gameday”. Another big activity I wanted to dig into was the tailgate
downtown, “Devils on Mill” and the difference in environment on a completely diverse campus
in a more urban area and with a smaller population. Since they are different majors and different
perks to being a Downtown student versus a Tempe student, I wanted to observe the small details
that are shifted when in comparison to Devils on Mill, as this is another audience to address. Last
but not least, I wanted to get behind the scenes on why the Alumni Association puts such an
emphasis on this trip every year, as the answer “because it is fun” doesn’t seem to fit the motive
behind all the planning, time and effort. Why would so much money and time go to one trip if it
7. “The USC trip really gets the Medallion Scholarship Program together every year, as
those are the students we take every year. When we arrive in California we have a bunch
of team builders ready for the students to do before kickoff , so it really brings out the
leadership in the group. And of course leadership doesn’t have to come from one person
sports related activity. Sports give a chance for teams to be formed, literally and
metaphorically, and that’s where students learn to develop character, social skills,
become more outgoing and start to become more conscious of what’s going on around
them.
8. “To be honest, when I hear “pregaming” I instantly think of alcohol, but the second thing
that comes to mind is tailgating, and activities like Devils on Mill. I love Devils on Mill, I
think it is a great way for the community to connect before the game. There’s nothing
that can bring a community together, especially college students, like free food!” Alisa
The significance of this is that at other universities are known for party tailgates
with alcohol and drugs, but with ASU being a Dry Campus, it’s very easy for find
activities to bond over that are dry. No drugs, no alcohol, nothing but a good time.
9. “Students that attend the big sports games are more likely to join clubs and build their
The significance of this is the idea of students being involved in clubs and
involving themselves in other extracurriculars outside of the classroom. You don’t need
to like sports in order to be involved, but if you go to the home games, you’re more likely
to be an outgoing person and really making an effort to build up your credentials for
when you need recommendation letters or a resume. If you leave your room to go support
the team, you probably leave your room for club events, too.
IMPACT OF ATHLETICS ON STUDENT BODY
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Getting to sit back and observe during the USC turnaround trip was definitely a learning
experience I am grateful. As I also was one of the students who was fortunate enough to attend, it
felt like I was looking into an exhibit as I was observing from the outside, not really doing much
for a while to notice little things in the behavior of everyone on the trip. There was a point in the
trip where we got off the bus and played the game “Human Bingo” where we had to ask people
questions to get to know them, and if the person could answer the question they would sign the
page. The objective was to get the whole template full of signatures. I saw people talk to
complete strangers and start conversations on topics so random like cowboy boots or their
favorite year of their life as examples. I realized that not only do we get to meet the people from
our scholarship program, but we actually get to gain leadership and independence with events
like these. Learning how to get from downtown to the Tempe on the light rail was a lesson I had
to learn by myself since I was not a Phoenix native. I also attended the Devils on Taylor
downtown tailgate for every home game, hosted by the residential assistants of all the floors at
Taylor Place. Since the campus is so unique, they had special activities or decorations related to
the majors on that campus. For example, they had a table where sports journalism kids would
“anchor” and practice their skills on telling the audience their predictions on that days game,
with a live camera set up as pretend and the whole studio production crew “working”. The perks
of living downtown is a more personalized experience, not feeling like you’re just one in a
million on such a big campus like Tempe. That is the energy and the vibe of the student section
people on their experience, I decided to take another route. For people that literally dedicate their
whole career to analyzing the events on the field and reporting the facts, I wanted to understand
what sports journalism majors people the student body’s impact is on the player’s performance.
This is the other way around, not how do games impact the student body, but in fact how does
the energy and support of the students in the bleachers affect how the game plays out, essentially
the success of the part of the student body that is playing on the field. According to Sergio Sazo,
sports journalism major in the 2022 cohort, “the louder the crowd, the less they can hear
themselves doubt themselves.” The support of the friends and classmates of these players starts
to affect the little details of their performance. I believe that if they are destined to win, they will
come close. If they are bound to lose, there was no hope in the first place. But when you hear all
the screaming and excitement in the crowds, it might make you run just a little harder, but
10. “The fans are just important as the players. It’s like an ecosystem, one can’t live with the
signaling that the support of the student body and the support of the faculty is needed for
the team to succeed. The student’s in the bleachers serve as motivation for the student’s
on the field, and Saturday night football is an event that motivates students to get their
work done during the week so they don’t have to stress on Saturday while they are at the
game.
11. “If I’m being honest, I wouldn’t be who I was without the coaching staff. They really
aren’t only telling me how to improve my conditioning but it feels like they really believe
in every aspect of me, like when I mess up they get really, really disappointed. If they
didn’t care, then they wouldn’t say anything.” Marco Salas, class of 2022
The significance of this is the emphasis of the coaching staff’s tremendous impact
on the students growth in all parts of their character. They teach them how to become a
better overall person that learns discipline and perseverance, such traits that have left a
mark on students for the rest of their lives (which also crossovers to personal and
academic selves).
12. “Whoever gives the guys on the field the ability to play because they are on scholarship
really touches me, because not only is sports an outlet for some people as they have gone
through rough eras in their life - I would know, that’s why I joined gymnastics - but they
are giving them money to get an education to further their careers past the collegiate
IMPACT OF ATHLETICS ON STUDENT BODY
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sports stage. Recruiters literally change lives, and the guys on the team really get the
better end of the stick. Playing what gets them through the days, practicing with some of
their best friends that will be there for the rest of their lives and g etting your school paid
for? They are really living their best lives.” Alisa Murphy, class of 2021
The significance of this is the impact that athletic scholarships have had on
student athletes. Without the money to go to school, these athletes would not be able to
go to college, or maybe not be motivated to. The game is about more than just winning,
it’s about keeping them in school to graduate and live a better life than they were
This part of the project really made me reflect on the idea of scholarships and how they
have really changed our school’s environment. I am honored enough to be a Medallion scholar,
awarded by the ASU Alumni Association, and my “outlet” in this case is service and leadership.
In order to keep the scholarship, we have to have completed a certain amount of hours of
community service for the scholarship to renew the next semester. This just shows to prove that
extracurriculars really do inspire the student body because, of course, we are here to have fun,
but most importantly get our degree. Athletics fuel a chance to touch hearts and touch lives. It’s
more than chasing a ball around on grass. It’s more than making matching gold t-shirts with your
friends and painting black lines on your face for when you scream your lungs out in the student
section. I believe that if students really started to reflect on the opportunities they have been
given to distract themselves from the pressure of school in a healthy way, like how athletics have
served as a purposeful activity for student athletes and my Medallion scholarship community
service has served the same purpose, they would start to see how lucky and fortunate they really
are in the hard times. Athletics is just one of the things that students have to be grateful for.
Recruiters tend to look at stories to really look at the dedication of students, regardless of their
background. They pick the players that they feel best will give a strong team on the field, as well
as off. Not only is performance examined, but they are bringing character to a family, so they
have to really dig into the charisma and vibe the player brings to each room they enter.
IMPACT OF ATHLETICS ON STUDENT BODY
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIH5bbkwK_s (0:31)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-am06CSoskE (1:44)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7p4XUu8Tgw (2:35)
Since I was in the hospital I did all my interviews and work over the phone, so I do not
have any actual soundscapes for the project itself. However, I added 5 minutes worth of video
that really highlights the ideologies behind sports and what they mean to students. It’s always
going to be more than just a simple good time on a Saturday night in college. Athletics bring out
The research I have conducted has shown the grand impact of athletics on the student
body, by bringing dedication to the classroom and charisma to the bleachers. There is so much
that goes to making game day happen, and it is all to benefit the students on the field and in the
crowd. Athletics bring a platform to shine in, a network to grow in and a activity to escape in a
healthy manner reduce the pressure of academics. There are different people impacted by the
athletics programs, and as Lis calls it an “ecosystem”, the faculty, team and fans cannot fulfill
their purpose without the help of the other two. Coaches go out and change the lives of soe
students who would need a miracle to change their lifestyle, and those students teach them
lessons they never even knew they needed to be taught. When focused on the task at hand, you
don’t really see what your character is learning, but when you get to observe from the outside
like I was fortunate enough to, it really changes the way you view certain people or activities
from that day on. You start to think about what you’re contributing in your average day or
It was when the USC turnaround trip was first introduced that I started to question the
whole ideology. “What’s the big deal? It’s just a game where you watch people run around the
field!” Why would the Alumni Association spend $60,000 on one singular football game if it
was just for fun? I never really thought about what athletics bring on the other side of the
spectrum of involvement in the game, as well as for what it brings to those actively playing. Due
to that curiosity, I wanted to dig in to what the staff thinks it brings us students. From the
perspective of a student, it was important to see my position in comparison to other students with
similar experiences here at ASU, but I also wanted to see if the professors really saw a difference
IMPACT OF ATHLETICS ON STUDENT BODY
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in their students after a major game or anything in relation to athletics. As for the project, I made
it about the ASU Student Body, making myself become an outsider and looking through the lens
that outsiders look into us and or culture, taking my perspective into a way different spot.
I think these questions need to be answered because like I previously was, I don’t believe
students are conscious of the opportunities they are given in front of them and their extreme long
term benefits. When I asked students, “What’s the first word you think of when I say ‘ASU
Sports Games’, what do you think of?”, about 85% of the sample size responded with the word
“fun”. As I would agree, the games are fun, but they are so much more. I ’m hoping this project
would open up the eyes of students to finding deeper meaning in the “fun” in their life. Given my
research, I propose an essay that will inform its audience about the role of college sports games
References
1. Southall, R. M., Eckard, E. W., Nagel, M. S., & Randall, M. H. (2015). Athletic Success
2. Finebaum, P. (2018). The Holy Game. Time, 192(5/6), 67–70. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=1
30942210&site=ehost-live
https://thechicdaily.com/2018/09/17/forks-up-a-game-day-lookbook/