Growing up 45 minutes away from Wichita State, I visited the campus more than once before I ever began to think about tuition costs and majors. For one of my birthdays, my mom bought me nosebleed seats for a WSU vs. Oklahoma men’s basketball game. I remember the dizzying climb to the top of the stairs. I remember screaming happily as the players ran down the court, and I especially remember thinking of Wichita State as a basketball-only campus.

Now that I’m older and get to see the amazing things that other sports are doing, I think it’s time for WSU to be known for more than just basketball.

Before joining The Sunflower, I wasn’t even aware of how many sports we have going on in the fall. Granted, I’m not the biggest sports enthusiast around, but I still always loved watching and hearing about sports, especially those at a collegiate level.

But I was completely unaware, and it is truly a shame. WSU’s fall sports are incredible and deserve just as much, if not more, love than the basketball teams.

These teams— volleyball, cross country, tennis, golf— all work hard and put in hundreds of hours to play their very best every single game, match and tournament, and are met with near-empty stands and quiet crowds. It’s unfair that they aren’t getting the love they deserve just because basketball is the more talked about sport.

Just last year, our volleyball team won the American Conference Championship and went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. Our men’s cross country team won its fourth-straight team title at the JK Gold Classic last Saturday.

I mean, I barely even hear about other sports around campus, meanwhile, I get dozens of emails about the basketball schedule and hundreds of posts on multiple platforms about their progress and stats.

I’m not here to bash basketball — I love basketball, and the work WSU’s team puts in deserves to be recognized just as much. What I am saying is that all sports deserve this kind of love and support from both the school and the fans.

The fall sports teams have already put in the work in showing us a good match, race or tournament. Now it’s up to us — the students and the fans — to show up and support them and show them that their hard work is noticed by all, not just a few.