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The Daily Tar Heel

True blue student questions fanhood

During the past several weeks UNC students have been part of a significant change from our normal fall semester.

Magically our beloved football team has put together a highly impressive first half" boosting us into the national spotlight. With our newfound football fame comes a need for some understanding of fan participation.

""Emotion is a huge part of the game and of being a fan" says Carolina Fever Director Sam Pompei. The more emotion you show" the more it helps our team.""

Nowhere is this better exhibited than at schools like Penn State with the ""white out"" in which fans all wear white, and Texas A&M; with the 12th man, meaning that the whole student body  is symbolically the 12th man and stands during the game.

To mirror these two legendary programs, remember these basic tenants. First, support our team and get them pumped up. Second, get in the head of the opposing team and help cause mistakes.

On offense, we should be quiet. Very quiet. When one miscommunication can ruin an entire play, our offensive players need to be on the same page.

Conversely, on defense, we should be as loud as possible. When Bruce Carter pumps up the crowd we need to do everything we can to trip up the offense. I was at the Notre Dame game, and I know we can get to a deafening volume, so we should aim for this every play, especially on big third downs.

We also must consider our standing with other fans. Pompei adds, We are a classy university and that is how we should carry ourselves at games."" I've heard stories of some fans being ridiculously obscene to opposing fans. The ""bull----"" chant is never appropriate"" period. We only lose face with poor reactions like that.

""Cheer for our team" not against the other team" sophomore band member Sebastian Cerdeña says.

Also, no one wants to see you throwing citrus projectiles onto the field when calls don't go our way. Not only is it pointless, but it can also result in a 15-yard personal foul for the team. So keep them in the cup with your vodka shot.

Concerning attendance, there is no reason why our student body shouldn't be able to fill the student section. We should be glad that we are rarely denied admission to football games, especially when basketball tickets are hard to come by.

Cerdeña points out, I've been to many other ACC stadiums and I can say that at places like VT" you can tell the students are there for a football game" not a social event.""

Unless you just have to put the keg on ice" staying through the alma mater shows respect for the effort the players put into the game.

In terms of fashion" wearing Carolina blue is an absolute must. We have the ""Turn It Blue"" campaign for a reason" and I know every student reading this can wear a UNC shirt to the game. Collared or T-shirt dress or blouse it doesn't matter as long as we are all Carolina blue. Seeing a sea of blue gets into the heads of the opposing team.

If you think that maybe I'm a bit uptight about how we act as fans that's understandable but I guarantee the players appreciate it when fans are in tune with the game. If we do our job as fans we can make a palpable difference in the team's performance for the rest of the season.


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