LHS athletics offer a full slate of options, which means students have a ton to choose from. It also means that some sports get more representation than others.

“We don’t get enough promotion, especially on [the school’s] social media accounts,” said junior Hayden Barney, a softball player.

Some of the sports where players say they get less attention include softball, which gets overshadowed by baseball, and wrestling, which suffers from a shortage of members. Track is one of the biggest programs in LHS and rarely gets announcements about meets away or at home, and bowling doesn’t even make it on the Pacers’ athletics page.

“It doesn’t get enough recognition because the school stopped talking and announcing it,” said junior Noah Webster. “One time, we lost 24 points because of forfeits due to a lack of members on our side.”

Wrestling faces its own challenges from low outreach. Because of the way matches are set up — one player versus one opponent of the same weight class — when a team lacks players, the opponents are given the win by default, having no player to contend with.

When was the last time you heard about wrestling from a source other than a student? What about softball?

“Getting announced year-round would help with representation and publicity,” said Webster, a wrestler.

Publicity and promotion are largely done by individual teams, and finding a way to get greater spotlights on these sports would make all athletes feel seen and respected in their own light.

So what can you do as a Pacer to help support underappreciated sports?

Showing up and showing out for our smaller programs can allow student-athletes to display leadership and talent on their courts, fields and pitches.