An astounding 200 million people tuned in to view the Super Bowl 2024. The majority of these people congregated together in smaller groups, eating, talking and watching the game all together. This social connection would not have been possible without one supremely underappreciated element of culture: sports.
According to the CDC, “When people are socially connected and have stable and supportive relationships, they are more likely to make healthy choices and to have better mental and physical health outcomes. They are also better able to cope with hard times, stress, anxiety, and depression.” While there are a lot of things that bring people together, sports stand above them all. In no other setting can strangers unite as one to support a common cause.
On a much smaller scale, high school sports are among the best ways to connect as a community. Getting people together to support a common goal is a surefire way to connect. According to Gallup News, “The percentage of U.S. adults who report having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime has reached 29.0%, nearly 10 percentage points higher than in 2015.” ‘The increased depression that often comes as a result of a lack of social connection- and it is difficult to understand why people don’t utilize the great environment of high school sports games.
Ladue has had a great deal of success in sports recently, with the boys basketball team at 22-1 and the hockey team at 18-2 as of Feb 14. Yet, at most games, fans rarely show up- and when they do it’s hard to tell based on the lack of noise. We are routinely provided great opportunities to build a sense of community and connectedness while supporting the athletes that work tirelessly to represent Ladue.
Ladue’s sports teams may never have the sustained success at the level they’re having now again, and yet students couldn’t care less. I encourage all students to grab their friends and family and show support for Ladue and its athletes. Failing to take advantage of these great opportunities to attend Ladue sporting events is a disservice to yourself and everyone else in the community.
