LETTER: It’s not necessary to be an Aggie fan

To the editor:

I would like to start by saying that I am not a fan of BYU, either the school itself or its sports program. Still, I found certain comments made by writers of the Utah Statesman for Friday, February 23, 2007 to be very annoying.

In his column, Mr. Terry referred to BYU sports fans as “nitwits” and told them to “shut up” about the success of BYU’s basketball program, then ranked 21st in the nation. On the very next page, in the sports debate, Mr. Baker said that wearing BYU apparel is “like tattooing the mark of the beast on your forehead and walking into a Christian Church.” He went on to call BYU “the enemy.” Was Friday the official Attack BYU Sports Day?

The main problem I have with many of these comments is the assertion that everyone who attends Utah State must be a fan of the teams here. I didn’t choose USU because of the sports teams. I attend school here because it is close to home and has a great engineering program. I could care less about the sports. I think people who grew up cheering for another university’s sports program have every right to remain loyal fans of those teams.

I personally have found the idea that I am wrong for not being a fan of the Aggies extremely annoying. It was annoying when we were told, repeatedly, to support “our” dismal football team and it’s still annoying when we are told, repeatedly, to support “our” successful basketball team. The overzealousness of the writers in the Statesman have done the opposite of what they set out to do. They have, to me, made the Aggies a team I cannot cheer for.

In conclusion, I would like to say that I am NOT “laughing at [BYU fans]”, as Mr. Terry said I am, but rather think that BYU sports fans that show their support while at USU are committing an act of both loyalty and bravery.

Adam Vanderwerf