Column: Statesman Soapbox
From the creators of the Homecoming Stomp and the not-so-True Aggie night, a new, original ASUSU idea has emerged: new game-day shirts!
A new shirt was unveiled with all the fanfare of five people hopping around on the floor at halftime of Friday night’s exhibition game against Occidental College.
In case you missed it, the shirt has a block letter “A” in the center of a circle on the front. The back has “Meet the Challenge,” a picture of the “Meet the Challenge” bull and a Western Athletic Conference insignia, in case you forgot what conference we’re in.
But apparently, no one told ASUSU that not all of the sports at USU are in the WAC. Gymnastics competes in the Western Gymnastics Conference and were nationally ranked last season and the club teams on campus are all part of various associations and unions without the initials W.A.C. So the new shirts are only for the major varsity sports.
The new Circle-A shirts aren’t supposed to replace the old A-game shirts, but they’re supposed to give the students a choice of which shirt to wear since two years tends to damage shirts.
But what they don’t tell you is that students have as many choices as a presidential election in Cuba: one.
The Circle-A shirts are the only ones being made and advertised. In a joint effort between ASUSU Athletics Vice President Rosie Strong, a designer and the Utah State University Bookstore, a new shirt was made to “replace” the old ones, but they don’t say that.
Now they would rather see an A in a circle. In no way is that psychologically damaging. Granted, the noise from the students itself makes things difficult and the Aggie Blue Book pamphlet passed out at the game Friday did say just to wear blue, not to wear the A-hole shirts exclusively.
But then they thought of another bright idea: the new “U.” It consists of holding up only your index and ring fingers, causing students to cringe in pain while they’re supposed to be watching David Pak miss his free throws.
What was wrong with the horns, which was putting your index and pinky fingers up in a much more natural position? ASUSU didn’t come up with it, so it had to go.
So don’t buy the Circle-A shirts, they’re not necessary. Just wear blue and if you wish to be remembered of a simpler time when the Ags were 17th in the nation, put on the old game-day shirt so you, too, can be number one.
Oh, and don’t be scared to go to the women’s basketball games. They’re thrilling to attend and blue looks a lot better than those orange seats in the Spectrum.
Coming soon from ASUSU: new schools colors and no more Statesman.
Kevin Nielsen and Bryan Hinton are both part of the sports staff at the Utah Statesman.
Comments can be sent to krn@cc.usu.edu and bhhinton@cc.usu.edu.