[Vision2020] Rivalry About More Than Football

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of the UI Argonaut at:

http://www.uiargonaut.com/sections/opinion/stories/2010/november/111610/rivalry_about_more.html

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Rivalry about more than football
Argonaut staff | Argonaut

The potentially final game between the University of Idaho and Boise State
University is in the record books, and fans from both universities can say
goodbye to a 40-year rivalry for at least two seasons.

Forty years of back-and-forth action, jaw-clenching and teeth-biting
moments, big blowouts, cheering on the Vandals and loudly booing the
Broncos as they take the field.

Now, it's over.

What is getting lost in the shuffle, however, is that Idaho is not losing
just a football game rivalry.

The week leading up to the game is affectionately known around campus as
"Beat BSU Week," and its effects extend far beyond the field.

Front and center is the annual Beat BSU annual canned food drive. Taking
advantage of the competitive nature surrounding the week, charity
organizers collect canned food and donations to help those in need from
students, Greek organizations and alumnus.

The drive has been a great success, and this year UI raised more than
34,000 pounds of food, blowing out the desired 20,000 pounds expressed by
pro tempore for the ASUI senate Samantha Perez, while Boise State chipped
in a measly 623 pounds.

Makes that 52-14 football score look pretty tame by comparison.

It's a shame that because of a few words, some blown-up football egos and
thin skin, causes such as the Beat BSU canned food drive and other
economical impacts to Moscow, Boise and the entire state of Idaho are
being thrown to the wind.

Boise State coach Chris Petersen said one reason he dislikes the rivalry
is because no Bronco fans travel to Moscow for the games, a fact that was
disputed on national TV Friday night as one-eighth of the Kibbie Dome was
full of bright blue and orange, with plenty more Bronco fans scattered
through the Dome.

These traveling fans stimulate the economy by buying tickets to the
events, staying in local hotels, eating at restaurants and drinking at the
local watering holes.

While the economic impact for Boise, a much larger city, will be notably
less with Vandal fans not making the trip down in the following years, in
this economy it seems foolish to shut down a proven revenue stream because
of a few silly words and some bad blood.

The rivalry has been put on life support, with the plug ready to be pulled
and everyone on both sides, from football fans to business owners and even
people who can't afford their own food, suffer.

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
UI '96

Came a tribe from the north brave and bold . . .

"Here We Have Idaho"
http://www.tomandrodna.com/HWHI.mp3

"I-D-A-H-O Idaho Idaho Go Go Go"
http://www.tomandrodna.com/Vandals.mp3