A is for Aggie!!!

Who knows a Scott's man who doesn't love the thistle?
Who knows an English man who doesn't love the rose?
Show me the TRUE blooded Aggie from Utah,
Who doesn't know the spot,
Where the sagebrush grows?!



So, I've been a pretty lackadaisical Utah State Aggies fan until recently. It just always seemed like such a hassle to arrive an hour early for descent seating in the student section, parking a million miles away and trudging through the freezing winter night air to the overcrowded and deafening Spectrum. I remember one mortifying game day my Freshmen year of college when I showed up to our rival game against U of U in a red sweater! I about died of shame as I was pelted with dirty looks and sneers shot my way from the navy sea of USU students. Although the past couple of games I have gone to have been a blast, I have to admit, there is still part of me that loathes these sporting events. Not because of the pompus players drenched in sweat or their intense, red-faced coaches. Not even because of a ridiculous giant dancing bull mascot or scantily clad cheerleaders. No, it is because of our ruthless Aggie fans!

We have become well known across the nation as a gathering of some of the most dedicated fans of college basketball, as well as the rudest. Although some of our unified chants crack me up such as, "You will miss it!" (when one of our opponents is up for free throw) followed by, "We told you so!" (if the ball bounces off the rim), others are just plain mean. One in particular is when the entire student section points a collective finger at a player, jabbing it back and forward and chanting, "You-you-you-you-yooooooooooou suck!" It's horrible and I refuse to participate! They often take personal hits at the players, nicknaming them Twinkie or Skeletor and chanting it whenever the Giant or Twig so much as graze the ball.

These are on going problems that the athletic department has tried to find ways to fix and at our stake conference recently, our Stake President brought it up in his talk, asking the students to refrain from such crass and degrading cheers.

If I had any doubts as to why I had stayed away from college sporting events for so long, last weeks game against Hawaii took the absolute cake. As the second half began (with the opposing team shooting free throws right in front of the student section), a foul was whistled early on and the players took their positions. Suddenly from the front row, a towering figure errupted forth, ripping his shirt off to reveal a blue painted chest, rolls of flub and the largest plummer's crack I have EVER witnessed! The "#1 Fan" as his chest labeled him roared like a troll and beat his chest with barbaric screams as the entire student body picked up the chant, "LOOK AT HIM! LOOK AT HIM!" The poor Hawaii player couldn't help but look and to the crowd's delight his first free throw fell short. Someone must have told #1 that his breeches were riding a bit too low because with a meanacing smile on his face he turned around, facing the students, bellowing all the louder and throwing up his arms for us all to cheer. The screams were deafening as the chat switched to "LOOK AT THAT! LOOK AT THAT!" with pointing fingers straight towards the gargantum crack! Can you guess if the second shot was successful?

And that folks, is why I generally avoid Aggie basketball!

(Josie and I capture our reaction to the above photo)