BYU football. We love it, we hate it, we agonize over four losses in a row, and yet we usually keep coming back. Most of us just can’t shake that Cougar pride. And honestly, this year they need all the help we can give them. Here are five ways to use your fan power to the fullest:
1. Wear the right color.
This is the first rule of being a fan. A pink BYU shirt is still a BYU shirt, but it doesn’t show much team spirit from afar in a sea of blue at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Admittedly, wearing the right color can be hard when the team only wears navy once or twice every season, but it’s worth it to show up in black on blackout day. Black is only okay on blackout day, though, and royal blue is only okay on royal day. Got it?
2. Learn the fight song.
It’s not super long, and it makes it easier to bask in the glory of a BYU touchdown when you’re not reading the words on the jumbotron. It frees you up to focus on the celebrations on the field and in the stands. Especially develop the habit of standing when you sing, “Rise and shout! The Cougars are out!” You’ll be glad you did. It doesn’t get much better than singing the fight song (coordinating arm gestures included) with your fellow fans when BYU scores.
3. Care more about the game than the Kiss Cam.
Yes, watching people feel really awkward on a giant screen in front of 50,000 people is riveting, but it’s a football game. Don’t miss an awesome catch for a first down because you were busy watching an older lady try to use mind power to will the camera away from her face.
4. Stay the whole game.
There are probably only a few things that justify ditching out on the game early: frostbite, a blowout of 30 points or more in the fourth quarter, and (heaven forbid) football on the Sabbath — we are BYU, after all. If the players can stick around the whole game, so can the fans. We put a lot less work into games than they do, anyway.
5. Participate in the stadium-wide wave.
It’s just that there are some people who really want this to work. Stand up and wave your arms as a special service to that person whose day will be made. Have a heart. Do the wave.
