How to Stay "Four Quarters Strong"

Bridgeforth Stadium – This past Parents Weekend JMU squared off against the University of Delaware earning a 43-20 victory over the Blue Hens. And though Bridgeforth was packed with students, parents, and alumni alike, the usual scene of a thinning crowd persisted as the game continued into the fourth quarter. Our previous coach, Everett Withers, brought up the idea of being “Four Quarters Strong” and yet at every game we see the audience start to thin out by third quarter and a mass exodus about half way through the fourth quarter (unless the game is a tight match).

This is a behavior that coaches across the country try to push audience members to fight against in order to support their home team. IndyStar Contributor, Zach Ostermatn wrote, “[the Indiana State Football Team] will be better with a strong crowd behind them, but they must earn their fans trust and enthusiasm with their play.” As a proud JMU Duke, I do enjoy football and want to support my team, but conversely I also understand having force myself to stay through the fourth quarter of a winning/losing game. Having conducted my own informal poll, I found that most people that attend football games leave by the third or even second quarter. Having to sit and stay enthusiastic for a one-sided or uninteresting game can be difficult, but I think that by remembering a few things it could make your gameday experience more fun even when the game plateaus.

Here are my three tips for how to stay four quarters at a football game…

Go with a group of friends

Image by Jordan Cook

This one is pretty self-explanatory. And besides, I don’t think anyone would go to a football game alone (unless they were incredibly dedicated to the team). Go with your study group or your hallmates. It doesn’t matter if they are your closest friends or people that you are still getting to know, but hanging out with a group of people in a high-energy environment is an easy way to lighten the mood of the weekend. This group of friends will also make it easier to stay excited about the game even if it starts to plateau.

Free gameday swag

Image via Students Corner | James Madison University website

In my opinion, JMU has done a phenomenal job at keeping the football games a low cost activity for the students. From the free tickets to the purple streamers, you can get a lot from the gameday experience for almost nothing. All you have to do is “purchase” your ticket at jmusports.com, print it out (for a two dollar convenience fee) and be at the Bridgeforth Gates by the Godwin Bus Center before kickoff.

While at the game you will be handed purple and gold streamers and those plastic inflatable noisemakers. Free t-shirts will also be thrown into the crowd towards the middle of the game as per usual at events like these. In fact, the only thing you really have to pay for is concessions. Even at that, the plastic cups and popcorn buckets are reusable and collectable.

You don’t have to stay for all four quarters

Image via Walking Tours | James Madison University website

And finally, yes, we would like you to stay until the fourth quarter ends, but that doesn’t mean that you have to stay in your seat for all four quarters of the game. Take a break from the game by getting food. You could eat on the brick benches opposite the concessions stand. Maybe take the second or the third quarter to walk around the concourse with your gameday crew. General audiences would have access to the lower concourse where the concessions are located. This would be behind sections 101 to 112 shown on the map above. Staying seated and excited for a three-hour game is tough and taking breaks when necessary might help you make it to the fourth quarter. The only thing to keep in mind with this is that re-entry isn’t allowed, so don’t leave the stadium otherwise you might not be able to get back in.

As a final note I would like to include that during the game you may be coming to watch football, but keep in mind that during games we recognize other sports teams and various groups on campus for their achievements. During the game this past weekend a few groups were recognized including, the JMU Women’s Basketball Team and the JMU Dukettes. And as always don’t forget to arrive early to catch the Marching Royal Dukes as they perform not only at halftime but at pre-game and even post-game as well.