There were more than 47,000 people in the stands at Ryan Field to see Northwestern battle Michigan on the football field this past Saturday, a near-capacity turnout that Northwestern rarely sees. You can thank the Wildside for that.
After the game, Northwestern's athletic department did just that, congratulating the Wildside on a "fantastic turnout."
The Wildside is not just another organization of select students. It's you and every other Northwestern student. Yes, the executive board of the Northwestern Wildside plans the events, but any student who’s ever been in the stands is a member of the Wildside.
Only in its second year of existence, the Wildside is working hard to build up its campus presence. Led by Alex Wilcox, the group's president, the group aims to show students the excitement of cheering for Northwestern teams. “We think the student section is a team in itself,” Wilcox said.
One of the group's main goals for the new year is for freshmen to feel at home at 1501 Central Street.
“We’ve definitely marketed freshmen this year,” said Wilcox, a Weinberg junior. “I think every year we can build, and the key is making the freshmen aware as soon as they step on campus that Northwestern sports are a big deal.”
For that reason, two of the Wildside’s biggest events so far – the Army Watch Party and Wildside 101 – have already occurred.
The Army Watch Party – an event held to generate interest in Northwestern road games –was a gathering on the Lakefill, where students could watch the Army-Northwestern game on a jumbotron. More than 600 students showed up to watch the 'Cats lose to the Black Knights, according to Wilcox. Even before school started, the Wildside hosted the Social Media Watch Party during Northwestern's season opener against Boston College, encouraging those watching the game to post messages on Facebook and Twitter. The game’s designated hashtag, “#NUvsBC,” was trending in Chicago during the game.
Julie Whyte, also a Weinberg junior, is the Wildside’s VP of Social Media and manages the group’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. She makes a Facebook event for every home game and sends messages out over Twitter to generate interest. “Our Twitter is a lot more active this year,” she said. “We now have over 600 followers and a couple of months ago, we only had 200 or 300.”
The Wildside also works to bring athletes and coaches to its events. At Wildside 101, held on Sept. 22, Northwestern football head coach Pat Fitzgerald, along with players Jeravin Matthews, Jeremy Ebert and Vince Browne came to Ryan Auditorium to teach students about Wildcat football traditions. Coach Fitzgerald told the audience members “how critical [they] are to the success of our football team” and went through some Wildcat traditions including the fight song, key jingle and third down growl.
The event also showcased off-the-field personalities. On one occasion, one fan stood up and asked Coach Fitzgerald to deliver a Northwestern victory against Michigan so that the questioner would have bragging rights over his girlfriend, who attends Michigan. Fitzgerald's response: “You probably need to get a new girlfriend.”
Athletes also appreciate what the Wildside stands for. “One of the struggles that we’ve had is trying to really get the students engaged, and I think the Wildside is the best thing for that. Something coming from the students at a ground-level and really reaching out to students on campus and getting them involved,” junior defensive lineman Quentin Williams said. “They’re doing a great job, and as a player, it’s nice to see people out there having fun.”
The Wildside works in tandem with the athletic department in order to maximize its events. Shawn Sullivan, director of sales and marketing for Northwestern Athletics, acts as the group’s primary liaison. “I try to work on [the Wildside’s] behalf to increase communication and pride in Northwestern athletics,” Sullivan said.
Basketball is another target of the Wildside's efforts. An event similar to Wildside 101 may be held during basketball season, Whyte said, where students would again be able to ask the athletes questions. The group is also in talks with Buffalo Wild Wings to organize promotions and props for basketball season. "Basketball attendance is actually a lot harder than football attendance because it's during the week," Whyte said. "Generating excitement about basketball season will be our next issue."
In the meantime, the programs for football season continue. This weekend, WIldside is hosting a road trip to Iowa following the success of the road trip to Champaign for the game against Illinois. Another road trip to Indiana is in the works. Ultimately, the Wildside's goal is to get students to the field on gameday.
“It’s a totally different experience actually being at the game,” Whyte said. “When Persa stepped on the field for the first time [against Illinois], when he threw those touchdown passes and you knew it was going straight to Jeremy Ebert for a touchdown, that’s not something you can mimic watching on TV. It’s an experience that is irreplaceable.”