Fans
- Early audiences
- Tone to the
occasion - Displays of passion
- Greatest rivalry
- Special trains
- Something to
cheer about
Tone to the Occasion
The first audiences to attend sporting events at Mount Allison were recorded in 1876, at games of cricket (October), football (November) and handball (December). Female spectators, who attended a football match between the University and Male Academy, were singled out by The Argosy (November 1876) for having given "tone to the occasion," and for having "prompted the young gentlemen to noble deeds of gallantry."
Opportunities for Ladies' College students to see Mount Allison’s male students at that time were rare, and the mere presence of females at sporting events lent an air of civility to the athletes and rest of the crowd. Ladies’ College students also needed to be invited in order to attend, as University student William Seaman testified in a letter to his brother Frank on 8 May 1886:
"The boys are going to play a cricket match today. The girls are invited to attend. I am one of the players but do not know whether I shall participate or not."
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