As I sat in the Carrier Dome two weeks ago watching the Cuse-UConn game, there was a lot of great things about the experience. Of course, there were also some not-so-great ones, and I don't just mean the way our offense played.
I kept noticing fans break what I assumed to be "commandments" of fandom and I was confused by their lack of awareness. Granted 95% of the Cuse fans in the building knew what they were doing, but that other 5% is going to hold us back if we want to keep building on this season.
So I thought this might be a good time for us to hash our some ground-rules for how to act when inside the Carrier Dome. Most of these are common sense (I think). I'm looking to you guys to help fine-tune them so we can really solidify this list for generations to come. Once we've established these, we'll write them in stone, carry them down from the Mount and speak unto the Dome flock with our words on high.
So let it be written, so let it be Dome.
The First Commandment - Wear orange. Not blue. Not gray. Not white. Orange.
The Second Commandment - Never start and/or continue a Wave. Leave that in 1986 where it belongs.
The Third Commandment - Never jingle keys on third down or at any critical juncture. Your lungs work just fine.
The Fourth Commandment - If you think the situation calls for it, make noise. If you're not sure if the situation calls for it, make noise.
The Fifth Commandment - Do not worry about what the fans behind you or in your section are doing. Worry about yourself, everyone else knows what to do. I assure you they did not appoint or elect you in any fashion.
The Sixth Commandment - Vary your scream, yells and cheers. Catchphrases tend to get old when you've screamed them after every play for three hours.
The Seventh Commandment - If you are a student at Syracuse University, you must attend all football & basketball games (and some lacrosse games). If you cannot abide by these rules, please transfer.
The Eighth Commandment - Keep your booing of the home team to a bare minimum. It never, ever reflects well on you and should be saved for dire moments of frustration.
The Ninth Commandment - Boo the crap out of our opponent. Especially if they are Georgetown, UConn or Rutgers.
The Tenth Commandment - Respect the value of rushing the field/court. It should be saved for momentous upsets and amazing last-chance plays that have a legitimate effect on the season.
The Eleventh Commandment (hey, I said it's a first draft) - Have some fun, will you? You like sports, don't you? This is enjoyable, yes? Act like it...