School Spirit*

We interrupt our twee Irish broadcast to talk about American college sports fans. Not that the Irish don’t love their soccer and (awesome) rugby, but this needs addressing right now. In the name of SCIENCE.

Jen took PhD Comics’ recent Grad School Spirit Pop Quiz and scored 2 points. Her excuse: “I am a graduate student [at the University of Washington]!” Girlfriend. We need to get you out of that lab more often.

Science graduate school at the University of Wisconsin was (and still is) all about doing research AND attending football, basketball AND hockey games, AND knowing the fight song and special rituals and incantations for all said sports.

Let’s take Wisconsin football, for instance, and show you how we jump around in Camp Randall. Here goes:

1. What is your school mascot’s name? Buckingham U. Badger

2. What are the team colors? CARDINAL and white

3. What is the school fight song? On Wisconsin!

4. What NCAA division and conference does your school play in? Division I – Big 10

5. Who is the school’s main rival? Officially – Minnesota. Really – we hate Michigan.

6. What’s the name of the head coach? Bret Bielema

7. Bonus: 2 points if you’ve ever been in the stadium. How about 5 bonus points for not just having been in the stadium but working and living in its shadow every single day for five years?

Score: You did your undergrad in the same school, didn’t you? No, I did my undergrad at Illinois. Besides the Chicago Cubs, I’ve never been a fan of any Illinois sports teams. Also, the team-fan relationship in Wisconsin is legendary and special, you really get it when you get it and there’s no going back.

Scientists who are sports fans are not an anomaly, and I don’t really get the (need to prop up the) stereotypical nerd-sportshead divide. Geek-jocks for life!

Do you want me to start in on the hockey team next? Sieve sieve sieve sieve sieve!

* Just so you know, Kanye West ruined the phrase “school spirit” for me in that I can no longer think/utter those words without immediately following up with, “I feel a woo coming on, cuz.”