Friday Night Lights. A gateway to the weekend, an escape from the week. Whether or not the school’s football team wins, students consistently show up to both hang out with their friends and support their fellow classmates. However, during the winter this energy declines among students.

“Friday night is a social time,” Associate Athletic Director Josh Friesen said. “That’s why football draws big crowds.”

Unlike football, winter sports like basketball and soccer typically have games that occur on weekdays, creating multiple issues including pressure from homework, variability and overlapping games. This can cause students to either not know about the games, only be able to attend one or just not go because of homework and extracurriculars.

“Football definitely has the most spectators,” Friesen said. “It’s just easier to attend a Friday night game without worrying about homework.”

In addition, the new Zierk Athletic facility bleachers create a sense of emptiness due to the size being much larger than that of the prior Spencer Gym.

“And while there might be the same amount of students when we were over in Spencer gym before the new gym got finished, it was a much smaller venue, so it seemed like it was more crowded,” Friesen said.

With younger highschoolers unable to drive to games, parents can feel burdened to take their children, even if the game is on campus. And when sports teams play away games, attendance from underclassmen is even more scarce.

“It’s harder because a lot of those kids don’t drive, so it’s the parents who are going to have to then give the kid a ride,” Friesen said. “Sports that compete on campus naturally get more attention.”

As the winter progresses and seniors start to finalize their college application process, their schedule starts to ease up, enabling them to come and support.

“In the spring, as people are already getting into colleges, and after Christmas, when some of the seniors are not as stressed out about college apps. I think the numbers will ramp up,” Friesen said.

Friesen believes that an increase in winter sports attendance starts with a tight-knit culture and community between athletes and students that encourages others to show up to games.

“It comes down to the attitude you have. If you want people supporting your sport, you need to show up for theirs — even if it’s not always reciprocated,” Friesen said.