Not a place for sports fans – except for the annual Williams-Amherst football game, which is a big deal (by LAC sports standards).
But Amherst is definitely a place for athletes, with 31% of students on a varsity team.
You will find that this is a common pattern with LACs. At LACs, a large percentage of the student body may regularly attend sports events – but it’s because they’re on the team, not because they are cheering in the stands as fans.
It’s the exact opposite of a traditional large DI university sports scene. In that case, only a tiny percentage of students actually play NCAA sports – but there may be tens of thousands of fans in the stands to cheer them on.
So you can’t say that there is no “sports culture” at LACs. There is a sports culture, but not the kind that most people associate with the term.
Few people play NCAA sports, but many fans: large DI university, e.g. USC
Many people play NCAA sports, but few fans: small DIII LAC, e.g. Swarthmore
Few people play NCAA sports, and few fans: large DIII university, e.g. NYU
No one plays NCAA sports, and no fans: alternative LACs, e.g. Reed, St. John’s College