Published: October 11, 2007

At a campus where the stage belongs to those who act and dance, the anxious athletes at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) can now finally lace up their sneakers. After spending a year playing pick-up games of football on the plaza and basketball at the courts, students Corey Yeap, FCLC ’10, Pat Tighe, FCLC ’10, and John Bashaar, FCLC ’10, decided it was time to do something about the lack of an organized sports club at FCLC.

Deciding that creating a club devoted to a single sport would not generate enough enthusiasm, the creators of this club chose to combine several sports—basketball, frisbee, and football—and to resurrect the dormant baseball club in order to form an all-purpose sports club for FCLC.

“I look forward to starting an athletic base at FCLC so that students who played high school sports can continue playing throughout their college years,” Bashaar said.

Will the club also continue playing pick-up games throughout the campus? Bashaar says it will, but in conjunction with a series of other activities. “This year, we will be hosting parties to commemorate the ALDS, ALCS and World Series in the student lounge,” Bashaar said. The club’s intent is to not only play sports, but also appreciate them with events, such as this year’s viewings of the MLB playoffs, that can bring the campus together.

Bashaar’s co-founder, Tighe, would also like to see a Madden video game tournament hosted at Fordham. “How many people would go crazy over that?” Tighe asked. “If ESPN can air a show dedicated to people having Madden tournaments, it shouldn’t have a problem becoming a popular event.”

In addition, Tighe believes, “a staff versus student game of softball is another good possibility.”

Student reaction has been overwhelmingly supportive of the club.

“It’s great that we could finally have a club like this,” Carlos Aguayza, FCLC ’08 and an avid basketball player, said. “Maybe we could play full court against Rose Hill.”

Jad Rifai, FCLC ’10, called the club “an excellent idea, because sports are a very important part of [my] life.”

And ardent baseball fan David Ortiz, FCLC ’08, even pledged to “do what is needed of me to get this task [of creating the club] done.”

The Jesuit ideals that Fordham imparts on its students center on educating a person’s entire soul. The Rev. Robert R. Grimes, S.J., dean of FCLC, believes sports should be included in that credo.

“I have been trying to transform our campus in terms of sports,” Grimes said.

Perhaps that day will come sooner than was originally thought.