Little attention paid to outdoor sports

Gustavo Zogobi, Staff Reporter

Outdoor sports, such as soccer, football, softball and baseball, are in need of more attention. The facilities that are being offered for these sports could be much better.

Comparing the setup that indoor sports have with outdoor, the difference is immense. Indoor sports have their own lock rooms, they also have an immense gym where they are able to both practice and play.

The soccer team does not have their own locker rooms for men or women.

The football team has their own locker room, but comparing it with the locker room that the basketball and volleyball teams have is nothing. The baseball team also has their own locker room, but it does not seem new at all comparing it with that of the volleyball and basketball teams.

Why is it that not every sport is treated with the same privileges and accommodations, within reason, to the best of the school’s ability?

Every sport at this college should, ideally, have their own locker room and be treated with equality.

That is not happening.

Why is it that basketball and volleyball have the best locker rooms, and also the best facilities?

The field on which the soccer team plays is terrible; the benches on which the players have to sit are old and are broken. The stands for the soccer fans are so small they are not even big enough for the public. Even a high school has more stands for fans than Lakeland does.

As for the fields, every university besides Lakeland and Rockford in our conference has a turf field. Honestly, we should have a turf field where the sports could be better played or, if the school does not have the money to build a turf field, the grass on which the athletes play should at least be cared for better.

Sometimes the grass from the soccer and football fields looks more like a mud pasture than a real field. Lakeland, as a soon-to-be university, should propose a more thoroughly funded plan for some of its under-maintained sports so that those sports can work to maintain a high level of competition.

Another big difference with outdoor and indoor sports is that outdoor sports, with the exception of football, are not streamed live online. Meanwhile, basketball and volleyball have their games live streamed, allowing for much more flexibility in viewing and following of the sport.

To be fair, I am not saying that basketball and volleyball should not have the advantages, facilities-wise, that they currently have. What I am saying, is that every sport at Lakeland should be on the same metaphorical playing field.

The outdoor sports are, in this sense, forgotten by Lakeland.

Different sports at Lakeland should not come with different privileges. All I am arguing for is equality.