University of Massachusetts - AmherstAthletics Summary

Written by Leah Kahan

UMass in its most recent years has not been known for outstanding sports teams. The school is currently on the rise, as the football team is now playing in Gillette Stadium (home of the New England Patriots), and the basketball team plays in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Hockey is by far the favored sport on campus, with Boston College as the biggest rivalry. At any given sporting event, there will be an abundance of attendees, but it isn't usually jam-packed, and just about any student can claim a ticket for games. In recent semesters, there has been a strong effort by various student-run organizations, such as the "Mullins Militia," to strengthen students' interest in sporting events. In addition to the University's Division I athletics, intramural sports are popular and a great distraction from homework. The UMass Recreation Center, one of many facilities, is home to a variety of basketball courts, workout machines, organized classes such as yoga and kickboxing, and more. Overall, the gyms on campus are more than adequate. If you play a varsity sport, you will have access to top-of-the-line facilities with much newer equipment. The Mullins Center is a beautiful arena, and the surrounding athletic fields, which include all of the intramural fields, are also in good shape. Overall, when it comes to sports at UMass, it is accurate to say that the Boston Red Sox are more popular here than the Minutemen. The University has a large Boston influence, and most of the enthusiasm displayed by students gets directed toward local professional teams.