On April 6, 2025, I joined with other ASU fans at Phoenix Municipal Stadium to watch the Sun Devils baseball team take on their Territorial Cup rivals, the Arizona Wildcats, and to possibly experience the hype around ASU athletics that everyone keeps talking about. I wanted to see if it’s true that the Big 12 Championship football team’s success really has “activated the Valley” by boosting support for and success of other ASU sports teams.
Lo and behold, I think it has.
I arrived an hour early, and by game time, the stands were barely filling up. I was not optimistic at this point, but by half-way through the first inning, there were more fans in the stands than at any other ASU baseball game I’ve ever attended.
ASU had an uninspiring, lackluster start, partly because Jaden Alba kept walking players, and partly because a questionable call on a steal by Kyle Walker in the bottom of the 3rd created a loss of momentum. On top of that, a series of Arizona hits followed by a 3-run homer by Andrew Cain put the Wildcats on top 4-0. I was not convinced of the hype at this point.
However, all that turned around in a big way when, in the bottom of the fifth, ASU shortstop Matt King hit a 2-run homer. The crowd went wild. The ovation lasted several minutes, and there were high-fives all around. An older couple sitting in front of me even stood up and did an entertaining TikTok-type dance, and everyone was on their feet.
The next batter was Isaiah Jackson, who hit a double, sending in the go-ahead run, making the score 5-4 in favor of the Sun Devils.
The momentum shift was palpable. Arizona could not dig themselves out. They had a series of disastrous errors in the bottom of the 8th, and the score was now 8-4, Arizona State.
So the question is, did ASU football’s success have anything to do with the stunning performance by the baseball team?
I think it might have.
The Sun Devils athletics pages suggested that the football team’s success has drawn more fans to ASU sporting events, which energizes the crowd. Increased attendance has boosted athletes’ confidence, inspiring them to strive for excellence. The football
team’s success has helped with recruitment, leading to stronger talent for all sports programs. Plus, football’s win increased positive media attention and overall recognition for ASU.
But, did the football team’s success trickle down to other athletes and teams, leading to their success as well?
So far, it looks promising. In 2024-25, ASU has won Big 12 conference championships in football, volleyball, men’s swimming and diving, and women’s swimming and diving, the most titles it has won since 2007-08.
Some may argue that the ASU crowd on April 6 was larger and louder simply because it was a Territorial Cup match-up. Or some may say I’m biased because I go to ASU. Sure, but I swear I felt unusual electricity in the crowd.
Some may also argue that Arizona won the first two games in the series and was expected to win the April 6 game as well, so there wasn’t really any magic in this particular game.
I disagree. Like the football team, the Devils were the underdogs, and, like magic, they pulled off a win. So, doesn’t that prove my point?
