Utah State athletics embrace patriotic ideals
Aggie athletic pride reflects not just a unity of one team or a unity of a campus, but the unity of an entire nation.
Football players remember the events of Sept. 11 with a flag worn on their helmets.
“The flag reminds us of the events that shocked this country,” said junior fullback Nick King. “We will go on with life. I will continue to play football. But we will never forget.”
The USU football players are well-acquainted with feelings of camaraderie that exist within a team, said cornerback Jerome Dennis. And he said he feels the closeness of ‘TEAM’ is projected onto the larger sense of nation.
“The flag reminds us that we are not just members of the Aggie football team, but this world is a team of which we are all a part,” Dennis said.
Many sports teams across the nation have in the past shaved their heads in light of a member’s cancer, or professed unity in conflict through some other significant gesture.
The gesture of flags placed upon football helmets is not just an Aggie phenomenon.
“The flag pulls everyone together,” King said. “On our football helmets it shows that we can all unite. Whether we are male, female, black or white, we are only one team.”
This small symbol symbolizes those inherent values upon which this nation was built.
The constant reminder of unity has brought a few football players to recognize their individual part in the grander scheme.
“I feel the flag symbolizes the pain our country is going through right now,” Dennis said. “Wearing the flag and playing America’s sport, I feel that I am a symbol of how the USA moves on through diversity. We won’t forget what happened, but like a strong defense, we will not let one sneak-attack stop us from continuing to do our job.”
The symbolic meanings of the flag placed upon the football helmet not only has an effect upon the players but reaches into the stands as well.
Mike Bergs, a senior in marketing, said, “The flag is a great symbol of respect. I think it shows great gratitude for those who are out there fighting for our freedoms.
“If it weren’t for all those who struggle to maintain our freedoms, we would not be able to enjoy the excitement of a Saturday football game,” he said.
– Bridget@cc.usu.edu