Students have their say on the issues of the day: YCP football

By Chris Hulsart

TO MANY college students, waking up on a Saturday morning to watch a collegiate football game is more than just a chance to watch your peer’s compete for entertainment. Students look forward to the atmosphere because of the tailgates, music and especially the large crowds.

However, YCP noticeably doesn’t have and never has had a football team, and you can find T-shirts for sale in the bookstore that play off that fact. They say, “York College football, undefeated since 1787,” which was when school was founded.

School President Dr. Pamela Gunter-Smith noted in a recent conversation with The Spartan staff that sometime after her arrival in 2013 she did weigh the advantages and disadvantages of starting a program. “I thought about where would put it, how would we convert some of the fields that we have. I thought about how the outside community would rally around a football team,” she said. “But then I got involved in other things and pretty much decided that it was not a priority, to be honest.

“People do it for a lot of reasons,” she added. “But it’s also very very expensive. And the liability associated with football is very very high. So, did I think about it? Absolutely. I talked to our athletic conference commissioner about it at one time. I scoped it out, and then kind of decided not to.”

Question: So what do York students think about the idea of getting a team on the gridiron?

Here are the responses:

“I do think YCP needs to add on football. We have proven to excel at athletics, and I think the addition of the most popular sport would bolster the athletics program tremendously.”

Brendan Desantis, Class of 2025

“ I think football is a must at every university. Not only because of the game itself, but because of everything that comes with it. The tailgates, the cheering, wearing school apparel, etc. It would really bring the students together. “

Michaela Foltz, Class of 2024

“I don’t think York needs football right now. We have enough sport team here that are fun to watch and all equally loved, and adding that big of a team would take away from that.”

Nolan Johnson, Class of 2024

“Football would be a bad idea at our school. With how much money is needed for it, it is a real possibility that other sports or activities could get cut.”

Jonathan Michel, Class of 2025

“I am personally in favor of there being Spartan football because the surrounding area of York has a rich history of football, so it makes sense for the college to have it, too.”

Zach Mignogna