My nephew posted a link to this Letter to the Editor from an Florida State fan who was treated rudely at the recent NCSU-FSU football game.
My friends and I were just four of the 11 FSU students who bought tickets for the NC State game last weekend. We made the 10 hour trek and had a great time, besides going to the actual game. Sure, the loss was tough but what truly ruined the experience was the hatred we received from NC State fans.
This letter may have simply been a “sour grapes” response to the Wolfpack’s win but I think there’s more to it than that. I can also say that I’ve been appalled at how some N.C. State fans have treated visiting fans, particularly before football games.
Back in the early 90s when Florida State had just joined the league, my FSU-fan parents joined my brother and I for a game in Raleigh. My parents, decked out in head-to-toe Seminoles regalia, were mortified to be cussed at, yelled at, and treated rudely by the State fans in the stadium parking lot. It was me, though, who was truly mortified to hear my school had treated my parents this way.
Now there’s rivalry and then there’s being boorish, obnoxious jerks! I’ve always admired coaches who tell their teams “act like you’ve been there,” to play with class and respect, and I believe this should apply to the fans as well. When I travel to a game at Florida State I’ve found the fans there to be polite and welcoming. When N.C. State played Notre Dame in the 2003 Gator Bowl the Irish fans seemed to go out of their way to say hello to us State fans.
N.C. State talks a lot about “Pack Pride” but too often it’s not something the fans take to heart. Every time I read a fan experience like the one above it makes me cringe. Every other State fan should feel the same way. N.C. State should strive to be a world-class university, with world-class academics, athletics, alumni, and also fans. Please, please, can we show a little class?