By Eunice Soriano

Amidst the roaring cheers and cries of a Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold sports game, there lay students who are also grappling with the struggles of meeting new people, learning a new language and adjusting to the hustle and bustle of Toronto. 

With eight varsity teams, 12 varsity clubs and 10 competitive clubs, many international students hope that the TMU Bold community will be a stepping stone in immersing themselves in the city’s culture.

Hailing from Mumbai, India, second-year psychology student Abhineeta Sharma rushed into the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) with excitement and was met with the blaring sirens of the packed hockey rink for TMU’s 2024 Homecoming game—her first time watching hockey. 

While analyzing the game, she was quickly taken aback when she saw players engaging in brawls and getting smashed into the boards. 

Sharma said that in Indian sports culture, student-athletes “go softer” in the games because playing roughly can reflect poorly on an athlete’s reputation. 

“If you see TMU Bold ice hockey matches, it’s a bit of pushing and attacking…but when you’re playing with a university back in India, that can affect you very badly,” said Sharma. “When you get violent, it is seen like you do not respect the sport, or you do not respect the person in front of you.”

Sharma highlights that access to facilities and media coverage is another key difference between collegiate athletics in Toronto and Mumbai. 

“[Playing sports at the professional level] is not usually seen as a career…it’s too underpaid. There’s not an audience for it and facilities,” said Sharma. 

Throughout the years, some players have soared to new heights while repping the blue and gold, propelling themselves into professional careers beyond the Bold. 

Whereas many fans draw inspiration from these star athletes, other students also become engrossed in the process that brings the high-speed action to larger platforms. 

Fourth-year sport media student Jazmin Gaura has embraced various roles within the TMU community, from a cheering fan on the sidelines to a camera operator on the TMU Bold Broadcast Group—a team of aspiring media creators who work diligently to broadcast live games on OUA.TV. 

While observing the action, Gaura has noticed the lack of fan attendance, which is a stark contrast to the lively energy surrounding the American university sports scene in her home state of Connecticut. 

“At NCAA schools, everybody’s going to games a lot. And I know that’s something that the Bold has [been] struggling with—getting more community members to go, which obviously I understand, it is a commuter school,” said Gaura. 

Growing up, Gaura would watch hockey alongside her dad and brother. Whenever that nostalgia and longing would settle in her, she would attend the TMU hockey games—a tie that forged her family together even miles apart.  

“First year was a bit tough to connect with people…so being able to go to hockey games, even just on days where I was feeling sad or lonely or homesick, was really, really special for me, and it got me through a lot,” Gaura said.

Other international students also seek out the Bold games as a way to make new friends outside of the rigorous hours within the classroom.

Fourth-year business management student Jessie Tran-Nguyen moved to Toronto from Da Nang, Vietnam in 2019, and brought her passion for sports with her. Over the past four years, she has become an avid Bold fan, watching volleyball, hockey and basketball games regularly. 

The MAC has been a battleground where numerous Bold fans have witnessed exhilarating matches and it has also been the starting point of friendship for Tran-Nguyen and her friends. 

“[Attending games] helps me to make friends and feel [like] a part of the school. Watching games makes me feel welcome and gives me fun things to do outside of classes,” Tran-Nguyen said. 

TMU sociology professor Dale Shin believes that TMU Bold games serve as a gateway for students to interact with each other in a “lower stake scenario and feel part of a larger whole.” 

Additionally, he said the university’s culturally diverse student population continues to cultivate growth among the Bold community and its international students who are trying to pave a way for themselves in the buzzing city. 

Shin says that, amidst a diverse student body, the various kinds of sports offered at TMU “can be a resource and a valuable thing for international students trying to acclimate themselves.”

And as a new batch of international students fly in each year, the opportunities within the Bold community will continue to soar with them.