Jane attended many athletic events while at Appalachian State Teachers College. She was not, however, an enthusiastic fan of sports like basketball or football, and appears to have primarily valued athletic events for the opportunities they presented for socializing. Fass notes that while young men dominated the athletic scene at colleges, young women helped turn games into a vital part of campus social life. Jane notes that she "had some big times" at the basketball games in the 1934 season (see the basketball ticket below). She writes of enjoying herself, rather than the details or outcomes of the games.

​

For teens in the 1930s, attending school athletic events was a way to bolster their social lives without spending much money. Parents and educators encouraged teens to attend extracurricular events like sports games because these events were supervised by adults and kept teens away from other precarious activities like smoking and drinking (Palladino 6). The Appalachian State Teachers College Student Handbook requires that "young women attend those athletic games that are announced at the chapel" (exhibit b.4). Students were not only encouraged but often required to go to school athletic events like basketball and baseball games.

​

While the students appear to have been eager to attend athletic events, the regulations at the events, however, were something of an issue among the students at ASTC (see exhibit j. Student Strike). Young women and men were not permitted to comingle during games and had to sit in designated sections of the bleachers. Such regulations kept students from enjoying the freedom they desired in their social lives and caused serious conflict between the students and college administration.