There are 22 different athletic teams at Chapman. Hundreds of games are played over the course of a single semester. Hordes of student-athletes frequent Wilson Field, the Harold Hutton Sports Center and the Lastinger Athletics Complex – and yet, there are only four athletic trainers to provide assistance.

At Chapman, there is a set of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III sports that compete in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). There is also a set of competitive club sports. And finally, there is a set of intramural sports and classes, generally considered to be the option for more casual players.

Right now, Panther baseball is on fire. The team started the season by winning all four games of a tournament in Tucson, Arizona, followed that up with a three-game sweep of East Texas Baptist University and then won a three-game series against conference rival La Verne University. Now, already a quarter of the way done with the season, the Panthers are 9-1 and confident about a return to the Division III championship series.

Destigmatize. Normalize. Raise awareness.

Nothing says “championship” like the song “Can’t Stop” by The Red Hot Chili Peppers. On Feb. 1, upbeat tunes blasted from the speaker system, baseball players danced, sang along and laughed with one another.

Ultimately, most chairs were solid options. But was I taken with any of the seats? Sadly, no. Does it help narrow down the honorable title of the best seat in the entire field? Not by a long shot.

The Panther spoke with current students who were heavily involved in athletics in high school, but aren’t currently members of any sports teams on campus.

While Chapman’s team is technically co-ed, hockey player Kinsley Rolph pointed out that it’s still very much a men’s team.

Athletes are a particularly superstitious bunch – and those currently in-season for Chapman are no exception.

Fortnite. It’s a name that took the world by storm in 2018, a popular online battle royale game that’s explosive popularity has seen it carry relevance into this year. 

Ever since I watched my first game at the age of five, I’ve worshipped the Cubs. The Cubs were always bad –– but I didn’t care.

The Panther spoke to 10 Chapman students about their perception of the football team.

The baseball team saw an influx of interested players trying out for the team after Chapman took home the Division III championship title last year.

Kristen Lee had no idea she was setting a record. She was having a solid couple days at the California State Invitational, but wasn’t exactly dwelling on her score. 

I love baseball card shops. When I was a kid living in Chicago, I would beg my dad to let us stop at a store on the way home from a Cubs game.

“When you’re injured, you can give up easily, because you can say, ‘This is going to take me forever’ and you can become lazy. You’re in the backseat mindset, but when you’re playing, you’re trying to improve and show your coach you deserve to play.”

Every week, Chapman’s cheerleading team choreographs a new routine to perform at the halftime of football games, while also planning out “band dances” on the sidelines.