Fall may be known by the female Twitter population as the “boots, leggings, and pumpkin latte” season, but to the rest of the world, fall is home to one of the greatest seasons around — football season. As a dedicated Jackrabbit football fan, I am healing my broken heart after losing to Nebraska this past weekend and mentally preparing to take on one of our top conference foes, North Dakota State University. Every team in the Missouri Valley Football Conference is competitive and while the players have most of the control over the outcome of the game, the fan support can be the difference between having a home field advantage and just playing another game.  The fans can truly make a statement and have an impact on the game and I do not think that we are taking advantage of our platform. 

First off, to the people who say that they love both the Jackrabbits and another college football team, how does that work? Pick a side! I understand that maybe your parents attended another college and as a result, you are a fan of that school. However, I think that college football is like a committed relationship and loving two teams is unacceptable. Commit yourself to the relationship with your team — cherish it, put time into it, and watch it flourish. That being said, since you are all here at SDSU, I assume that you will all be in our student section at games. I will also seize every opportunity to yell that “you don’t even go here” if I see any of you wearing any attire from another school. 

Second, I don’t know what caused this phenomenon, but apparently at halftime, the butts of the students get glued to the benches, even when the school song is playing. While working at an event a few weeks ago, an alum from the class of 1963 asked me why the student section remained seated while The Pride played our school song. I had no answer for him. He was embarrassed and frankly, I am too. When the school song plays, we need to respect the other Jackrabbits who have come before us and show some pride for our school. This also goes for randomly starting cheers while the school song is playing. Just show some respect for the school and be proud of your decision to be a Jackrabbit.

Finally, we only have four years (maybe five or six for some of you…) to cheer for the Jackrabbits as students. We need to seize the moments we have, knowing that we are making a statement. If you are planning to come to the football game, you should cheer. I have been told that there is no better feeling than hearing our cheering ring across the field as the defense gets a stop or the offense scores. 

My dearest Jackrabbit friends, we are the team behind the team. By dedicating ourselves to the Jackrabbits, showing respect for the school song, and cheering loudly and proudly, we will make our “sea of blue” a force to be reckoned with. 

Enjoy the rest of the football season and remember that it is always a great day to be a Jackrabbit. 

 

Kelly McKnight is majoring in Biology Pre-Med. She can be reached at [email protected]