One of the most challenging questions a college sports fan can ask
him or her self is...am I ready for props? Cheering for one's team is a demanding undertaking in and of itself. But once you incorporate costumes, wigs, facepaint or signs, you're starting down a slippery slope. Is your costume funny enough? Are you memorable enough that people will want to see you again? Is your sign witty and humorous to anyone in the coveted 18-23 demographic? Do you have it in you to act like a fool on a continual basis if asked? Are you willing to put up with hecklers who pounce on you? And why is it those hecklers are your good friends?
My friends and I briefly flirted with a wig motif. For some unknown reason we had in our possession a Scottish golf cap with red hair wig, a bunny wig, a bear cub headpiece and a construction hat. We brought our fare to a Cuse football game and decided to make this the first of many games we'd wear our respective items. I think by the 2nd quarter all of our headwear was located on the seat while we returned to rooting like normal, psychotic college fans. We just didn't have it in us. Plus, we realized it sounded a hell of a lot funnier the night before after nine Meister Braus.
There's really only a handful of memorable prop fans I remember from my days in the Dome. There was Darth Orange, a guy in an Orange-clad Darth Vader outfit (that's not him over there...but you get the gist). It was the quintessential "I'm glad there's someone doing that for comedy's sake but I wouldn't be caught dead doing it" costume. Especially when you looked closely and realized he was wearing sweatpants. There were those Orange Vikings guys, who showed up at football games and I suspected had been there for some time although I never really got into their schtick. Finally, during senior year there were the Dome Dizzies, a group of body-painters who circled the court with the giant SU flag right before the 4th quarter. While a solid addition to the pageantry of the game, it all got a little stale towards the end of the year.
Daniel over at Sports at Random shared a story yesterday about his brief brush with fan propery and "The Greatest Sign Ever at a Sporting Event."
It was my Sophomore year at Syracuse University. I lived in Sadler Hall, right across from the Carrier Dome. It was Monday- Big Monday, according to ESPN- and Georgetown was in town.
I applaud the final product, over there on the left. It's ironic, it's simple and I'm sure the ESPN director took one look at it and thought to himself, "what is wrong with that guy?" And I think at the end of the day, is really what you're trying to do as a sports fan when you do any kind of signage, costume or prop involvement? You want a giant room full of strangers to acknowledge that there's something slightly wrong with you...and that's alright.
By the way, if you want to own a piece of history, now's your chance. The sign is up on Craigslist.
Has a 2001 Super Bowl Pool (100 squares) on the back of it
That's the cherry on top!
him or her self is...am I ready for props? Cheering for one's team is a demanding undertaking in and of itself. But once you incorporate costumes, wigs, facepaint or signs, you're starting down a slippery slope. Is your costume funny enough? Are you memorable enough that people will want to see you again? Is your sign witty and humorous to anyone in the coveted 18-23 demographic? Do you have it in you to act like a fool on a continual basis if asked? Are you willing to put up with hecklers who pounce on you? And why is it those hecklers are your good friends? 
My friends and I briefly flirted with a wig motif. For some unknown reason we had in our possession a Scottish golf cap with red hair wig, a bunny wig, a bear cub headpiece and a construction hat. We brought our fare to a Cuse football game and decided to make this the first of many games we'd wear our respective items. I think by the 2nd quarter all of our headwear was located on the seat while we returned to rooting like normal, psychotic college fans. We just didn't have it in us. Plus, we realized it sounded a hell of a lot funnier the night before after nine Meister Braus. 
There's really only a handful of memorable prop fans I remember from my days in the Dome. There was Darth Orange, a guy in an Orange-clad Darth Vader outfit (that's not him over there...but you get the gist). It was the quintessential "I'm glad there's someone doing that for comedy's sake but I wouldn't be caught dead doing it" costume. Especially when you looked closely and realized he was wearing sweatpants. There were those Orange Vikings guys, who showed up at football games and I suspected had been there for some time although I never really got into their schtick. Finally, during senior year there were the Dome Dizzies, a group of body-painters who circled the court with the giant SU flag right before the 4th quarter. While a solid addition to the pageantry of the game, it all got a little stale towards the end of the year.
Daniel over at Sports at Random shared a story yesterday about his brief brush with fan propery and "The Greatest Sign Ever at a Sporting Event."
It was my Sophomore year at Syracuse University. I lived in Sadler Hall, right across from the Carrier Dome. It was Monday- Big Monday, according to ESPN- and Georgetown was in town.
I applaud the final product, over there on the left. It's ironic, it's simple and I'm sure the ESPN director took one look at it and thought to himself, "what is wrong with that guy?" And I think at the end of the day, is really what you're trying to do as a sports fan when you do any kind of signage, costume or prop involvement? You want a giant room full of strangers to acknowledge that there's something slightly wrong with you...and that's alright.
By the way, if you want to own a piece of history, now's your chance. The sign is up on Craigslist.
Has a 2001 Super Bowl Pool (100 squares) on the back of it
That's the cherry on top!