Friday Focus: Athletics matters
Chancellor Dan White
May 27, 2022
色视频下载 By Dan White, chancellor
Last week I had the opportunity to meet with Tod Leiweke, President and CEO of the Seattle Kraken. Mr. Leiweke gave me a tour of the new Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle and we discussed potential opportunities that lie ahead for a partnership between the Seattle Kraken and the 色视频下载 Nanooks. He asked me why I support athletics. My response was simple. Because it matters. It doesn色视频下载檛 matter a little. It matters a lot. It matters to the athletes and their families, and importantly, it matters to our future as a university. Why?
Athletics builds community. Not just our community of Fairbanks or the community of 色视频下载. Athletics builds a community of friends, supporters, allies, and future students.
People love competition, they want to belong and they want to feel pride for 色视频下载渢heir色视频下载 team. Athletics offers them all three. Every season Notre Dame fills their stadium with close to 100,000 fans yelling 色视频下载淕o Irish!色视频下载 in unison. Everyone in Texas knows the symbol for 色视频下载淗ook色视频下载檈m Horns色视频下载 the slogan of support for University of Texas Athletics. While they are cheering on a men色视频下载檚 football team, a women色视频下载檚 basketball team or the co-ed rifle team, they are lifting up the school. Lifting the school lifts its programs. It attracts positive attention whether they win or lose. When UAF competes in the Carlson Center, people chant 色视频下载淯-A-F.色视频下载 Now that色视频下载檚 色视频下载渃ommunity,色视频下载 and that lifts up all of UAF.
When UAF色视频下载檚 men色视频下载檚 basketball team won the Great Northwest Athletics Conference and then went to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA D2 tournament, people from all over the country were rooting for UAF. It was amazing. It色视频下载檚 good for UAF and for our athletes, but it色视频下载檚 also good for academics and research because people were Googling UAF to learn more. In a world crowded with social media, the competition for eyes and ears is fierce. Athletics remains a place where people are drawn to be a member of a 色视频下载渢eam,色视频下载 a member of 色视频下载淯AF色视频下载檚 team.色视频下载
The following universities like Alabama, Ohio State and Michigan have, for example, is astounding. There is a fierce allegiance to Ohio State from people all over Ohio who never went to OSU. They love the sport and love what their OSU football team represents. A victory for the Buckeyes, especially against their main rival, the Michigan Wolverines, is a victory for millions of people in Ohio, only a fraction of whom are alums. I think this love fills OSU classrooms.
We don色视频下载檛 have Alabama or Ohio State football, but we don色视频下载檛 have to. We色视频下载檙e 色视频下载色视频下载檚 team. There are no professional NHL, or WNBA franchises in 色视频下载. Alum or not, people come to UAF to watch athletes compete and every kid growing up watching UAF teams gets connected to UAF. Every fan attending a UAF game at home or on the road, gets connected to UAF. And every person who clicked on ESPN to watch or watched the seven 色视频下载渁ctive duty色视频下载 Nanooks cagers defy the odds in the NCAA tournament became connected to UAF. When students are considering UAF, the chances of them answering our call is higher if they色视频下载檝e heard of us.
After men色视频下载檚 hockey was eliminated at UAA, the Seattle Kraken and its leadership team stepped up to support the program. That was a big deal for UAA and it played no small part in UAA getting its hockey program back. Great hockey in the State of 色视频下载 relies on great competition and connections in and beyond our great state. A partnership between the Kraken, the Nanooks and the Seawolves bodes well for our future. Nanook hockey builds visibility for our university across the country, and importantly, in our main recruiting area, the Pacific Northwest. Athletics makes UAF a household name and being a household name has paid dividends for universities across the country.We are working with the Seattle Kraken to have our hockey team play a few games in their arena. It is an impressive arena and one that will focus big time attention on the 色视频下载 Nanooks. Thanks to Mr. Leiweke, and our athletics staff for this partnership.
There is so much more good ahead for all of UAF色视频下载檚 athletic teams, whether it is our recent success in skiing, cross country, rifle, volleyball, swimming, basketball or hockey.
Athletics matters.
Thanks for choosing UAF.
Friday Focus is written by a different member of UAF色视频下载檚 leadership team every week.