A new policy implemented by the university this past weekend forces students with a previous ejection or citation at Camp Randall Stadium to take a breathalyzer and be under the imposed blood-alcohol limit, which vary depending upon the age of the offender.
I blew zeroes which pretty much made my game day un-fun,"" one UW-Madison junior complained in Sarah Carter's ""Ejected Fans Blow Sober Marks"" article from Monday. This attitude of ""no alcohol, no fun"" seems to be reflected in the student section each game. The football contests have become just a popular social occasion.
If alcohol prevents you from getting to the game on time, then don't bother showing up.
ESPN's Scott Van Pelt thinks Madison is the best college sports town in America. Unfortunately, it's a long way away from living up to that. Being labeled by one person as the best college sports town doesn't mean that people have the right to be as drunk as possible and not remember one play from the game.
Flash back to last year's Nov. 4 home game against Penn State: ABC's live coverage pans across Camp Randall Stadium seconds before kickoff, and shows a half-empty student section, an image broadcasted to 64 percent of the nation. I'm glad you got those two extra beers in, but a half-empty student section looks completely absurd.
Game days at many college campuses, including Austin, Gainesville and Happy Valley feature some of the best fans in the country who show they actually care about football by just showing up to the game on time. When CBS pans over ""The Swamp"" at kickoff, Gator fans have instant credibility just by being in their seats.
Fans from these schools pride themselves on caring about the actual games, not basking in the glory of some bogus No. 1 party school ranking two years ago.
""The student section was about 20 percent full at kickoff!"" ESPN College Gameday's Chris Fowler wrote after the show's last visit to Wisconsin for the Badgers' Big Ten opener in 2004. ""The constant, collective F-bombs are lame and tired,"" he added. This brings up another point.
There's ""Eat S%#@, F$#@ you,"" which we hear 10 times a game. These chants sound dumb, are not funny and are not original. Congratulations, the wave can be sent backward. Sadly, the students seem to care more about this aspect of the game than what happens on third down.
Wisconsin fans may act and talk like they care about football, but until these games become less of a social occasion and more of a sporting event, Badger fans can pride themselves in knowing they're some of the most overrated fans in the country.
Eric Levine is a junior majoring in history and communicative arts. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
