Fan support is essential in the sports world and not everyone within the Washburn community is content with the current level of support for Washburn Athletics.

“There is not a great deal of energy towards Washburn athletics,” said Frank Chorba, mass media professor.

Chorba said that he wished there were more support from the Topeka community for Washburn Athletics, particularly in terms of attendance at games.

“Every time you go to the stadium, we are lucky to fill the stadium halfway full,” Chorba said.

Chorba said that he sees a disconnect between the Topeka community and Washburn University, especially with the strong support of fellow Division I schools around the area such as the University of Kansas and Kansas State University.

Chorba said that while tailgates generally garner larger crowds, many attendees either don’t stick around for the actual game or don’t stay for the game’s entirety like crowds do for other schools. Chorba also said that the number of younger attendees at Washburn’s games is slowly declining.

“We need to get the community behind us,” Chorba said. “[We need to] get the local sports bars involved with Washburn Athletics and talk to the city about support … The support, it is just not happening.”