Sports: Football generates enthusiasm beyond the sports book By Keisha Williams, Outpost contributor In this package: Love them niners A wolf's best friend The winning team   Everyone knows Reno loves sports -- betting on sports, that is. True, every casino offers sports book gaming, and television screens throughout town broadcast games from around the globe so people can keep track of their investments. But Reno's love of sports goes beyond gambling. Reno residents actively participate in all types of sports -- and not just with their pocketbooks. Playing in organized sports is a right of passage for virtually every child in the city, starting as early as age 3. High school games can draw crowds of up to 10,000. And everyone in the community can root for two semi-professional teams including the Chuckars baseball club and the Reno Renegade hockey team. And, above all, the community loves to root for the University of Nevada, Reno, Wolfpack. While the university has dozens of athletic teams from women's volleyball to men's baseball, and even a ski team, football is the big draw at UNR. Home games can draw more than 25,000 on Saturday afternoons. Support for Wolfpack football is just one example of how important sports are in Reno and its surrounding communities. Frenzied fans turn out religiously to cheer on the McQueen Lancers, a team that's won the state title three times in this decade. The town's love of football also put Reno in serious contention this fall to become the training camp site for the San Francisco 49ers. Area leaders are serious about demonstrating to the rest of the country that Reno is a place for sports -- not only sports betting. The following three stories demonstrate how one sport -- football -- has captivated Reno fans. copyright 11/15/97 Nevada Outpost http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost