For almost a century, Ball State University has sat isolated on its own island in Muncie. Leaving campus was an adventure seldom journeyed.
Building bridges between the university and Muncie has been a goal for the two entities, but often those bridges collapse.
Despite tendencies for Ball State students and Muncie residents to not play nicely, the athletics department has fought against the odds and continues to connect with the community.
Take a Kid to the Game day is this Saturday. It will allow adults to get children into the football game for free with the purchase of an adult ticket.
Maybe the idea of having a horde of children running around a college football game, which is breeding grounds for bad behavior, is not the ideal situation for some of you, but this is a chance for Ball State to reach out and do something good for those whom we share a city with.
And yes, if there are more kids at the game, you'll have to watch your language a little more. No four-year-old needs to learn a four-letter word to share at preschool.
The football team isn't the only friendly arm the athletics department has extended toward the world outside Ball State.
Last weekend, the soccer, women's volleyball and field hockey teams showed their support for the fight against breast cancer by taking part in the Think Pink Initiative.
Events and programs like these show Ball State cares, despite some of our tendencies to gripe about Muncie's condition and its inhabitants (How many of you complained about Muncie residents who attended the Late Nite Carnival?).
Many of the universities with nationally-ranked football teams have used the opportunity to increase ticket prices, but Ball State has decided to make the games more affordable for its fans instead. It may even allow families that normally couldn't afford to get into the games to give their children a chance to see a historic season for our team.
If Ball State wants to bridge the gap with Muncie, then it needs to take note of what the athletics department has been doing and offer something to the community. Athletics has shown that there is more to sports than what happens on the field, and that is benefiting everyone.
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