NYU offers a very unique experience to its students through its integration into New York City and vast amount of opportunities, but it also lacks a big part of the college experience. Every weekend, students from around the country gather to prepare for their team’s football game — except for NYU students. While others are having fun at tailgates with a group of friends, sports enthusiasts here struggle to find something to do. Seeing friends outside of NYU post about the big game on social media saddens and disappoints me because such an integral part of the college experience — an experience that connects people by supporting their school — has been left out here.

Football season is one of the highlights of the school year. The sport, most popular for a number of colleges, calls for the building of massive stadiums and gathers thousands of students for pre-game festivities. That is why NYU needs to bring back the football team. A football team will build a sense of pride among students about the school and help bring together the diverse community that is the NYU student body. It will provide us with an event to look forward to each weekend and a time to unwind from the week’s stresses.

“Having a football team here would be awesome,” freshman David Min said. “I miss watching my high school’s football team play every Friday, so I would definitely try to make it to every game at NYU.”

Despite all the potential benefits bringing back the football team has, the feat will not be accomplished easily. As always, there are the doubts as to where the team will practice and play games or whether the game locations will be too far for fans to want to make the trip. The team would most definitely have to find an off-campus venue considering that the school is part of the city. Most other city teams have had to resort to this as well. Moreover, how will the team be funded? An increased tuition will surely not sit well with NYU students. Despite all the doubts and questions, the school still has the potential to benefit greatly, as long as the push for the football team is determined and enthusiastic.

“I feel like football season should be a big part of the college experience anywhere,” freshman Enrique Iturregui said. “I would absolutely support the team’s return.”

Bringing back the football team seems like a daunting and risky idea but with the support of the entire community, this can very well become a reality. Despite the reputation that NYU has of a school of diverse, art-focused students, weekly football is something a large portion of the student body can get behind, as demonstrated at other diverse college campuses around the nation in the Ivy League and Pac-12. Everyone needs to be on board in order for NYU leadership to see how much students care about a football team. I feel that a lot of other people feel the same way that I do, but nothing will change unless we speak up and prove a potential football team’s worth. The community needs to show its support for the sport from the beginning to ensure it will continue to attract fans as time passes. If we want to make NYU an even better experience for future students, then fighting for a football team is a first step.

Email Brandon Herrera at [email protected].