Soccer champs deserve better

IU's men's basketball team and football team attract the most attention and focus from local and national media. But it is the men's soccer team that is our pinnacle of collegiate sports.\nSince 1973, the year the program began, coach Jerry Yeagley has led the men's soccer team to an astonishing 478-83-37 all-time mark, good for an .83 winning percentage. Since the team's inception, the Hoosiers have won more NCAA Championships (five) and gone to more Final Fours (13) than any program in the nation.\n For the past two seasons, fans have been fortunate enough to witness back-to-back NCAA championships. And we don't appreciate it enough.\n Students, faculty, Bloomington residents and alumni need to realize they are part of something special ' an IU tradition. Sure, soccer is predominantly a low-scoring sport, but that doesn't mean it can't be exciting. \n Men's soccer has become a lost sport among the powerful men's basketball and up-and-coming football programs. It shouldn't. The team has a winning tradition, and the fans who regularly come to cheer the Hoosiers on are generally passionate about the game. The band plays a large role in pumping up the crowd ' from counting off push-ups for every goal scored to whole-heartedly launching into Queen's "Another one bites the dust" every time the Hoosiers win. \nThe Hoosiers will play at Bill Armstrong Stadium 10 times this season, most times in front of an enthusiastic but small crowd. Even though IU students can attend regular season games for free with their student IDs, most don't.\nWhile soccer remains the most-watched and most-played sport in the world, it just can't seem to catch on in popularity at IU. Students need to support their national championship-winning soccer program, just as they support the men's basketball and football teams. Fans should tailgate, alumni should return and students should cheer. \nWhat more does the program need to accomplish to garner star treatment from students?\nIU has won eight Big Ten Championships since 1991. Every four-year men's soccer player has advanced to the Final Four and has been in a position to win a national championship. The team has great statistics behind it, and most likely, many more records in front of it. All it needs now is more fan support.