Photo Courtesy of Daniel Battaglia

By Emma Kavcioglu & Anna-Carolina Knapp

Two weeks ago, we had one of the biggest football games of the year, Granada Hills Charter (GHC) vs. Kennedy High School. The GHC student body went all out to show their support for both the junior varsity and varsity football teams.

Students came decked out in black attire as part of the game’s “black out” theme. The Jungle, a group of seniors dedicated to school spirit, brought speakers, made signs, and really brought energy. The GHC cheerleaders stunted and held up signs to cheer on the football team. The band performed their best, motivating our players and adding to the energy of the crowd.

It would seem that GHC school spirit is thriving based on the presence at Friday night football games.

However, since the semester has started, other sports have not even received a fraction of the attention that football has. Other fall sports, such as golf, tennis and cross country have gone through their season openers and preliminary games, and the stands are nearly empty.
According to Pew Research, football is the most popular sport in America. According to the National Football League, 60 percent of America tuned in to watch the 2023 Super Bowl. We can see this attention translate into high school football games such as here at GHC. GHC student tickets sold out for our game against Kennedy.

However, the reality is that this popularity comes from the culture built around football, rather than the sport itself. Everyone knows about “Friday night football games,” but the reality is most are infatuated with the atmosphere rather than the sport itself.

“I am not a huge football fan, and I would say that I go to the games mainly for the social aspect,” junior Patrick Kobramasihi said.

This social atmosphere at GHC football games is created by our Associated Student Body (ASB) and the Jungle, who often have a large presence at football games. ASB hosts pep rallies during lunch on Fridays, makes posters, and sells concessions and merchandise to show school spirit in the crowd at home games. The Jungle creates and promotes themes for football games and is responsible for the large crowd we see at football games.

“I think that ASB and the Jungle do a great job at supporting us,” senior varsity football captain Oliver Taylor said. “I’m really happy to play football here for Granada because of all the student support that we get and all the people from school coming to watch us.”

Taylor doesn’t only speak for himself when he says the student support really helps and is great to have at sport events.

“I think that if we had more support from the student body, it would definitely affect the way that we run out there,” junior and varsity cross country runner Reece Trice said.

Whether you’re going to the game to enjoy the sport, cheer on our players, or just have a good time with the crowd, the players still appreciate the enthusiasm. But while you’re at it, try to support other teams such as basketball and volleyball. The culture will definitely be there too.