After Boston College football pulled out an exciting, well-fought victory against Syracuse, about a quarter of the BC student section finally trickled out of their place in Alumni Stadium. Where were the rest? Already gone, and had been gone for a while. Those empty stands were antithetical to the turnout at the previous night’s hockey game against Maine, featuring a line wrapping around the back of Conte Forum and a student section that was full and rowdy until the very end of the game. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic put the world on pause for a year, it felt to me that enthusiasm for Boston College athletics reached an all-time low. Combine that with lukewarm performances in some of the major sports last year and you end up with a student body that stays for an hour and then dips after mumbling its way through “For Boston.”

Sheltering from the sudden September downpour last Saturday evening, 791 Boston College students took advantage of the newly introduced SuperFan Zone just inside Gate A of Alumni Stadium.

BC Athletics has improved the Gold Pass experience with a new app that tracks student attendance and offers bonus points. Their new "Superfan Zone" is a worthwhile attempt to enhance student spirit before games.