[Farm93]

It sounded like a lot of fun.  Wish I could have gone, but I needed to go to Europe now to avoid missing the SC game in October.

2 years ago I was super passionate, but the UCLA crowd generally let me go since I was not really cheering against UCLA.  I generally think home fans do not want negative cheering, so how one cheers plays a role.

And where you sit also plays a role.  The more elite, high donor types usually expect loyalty near them.  When I went to USC last year I had "good" seats, and I was told to shut up almost immediately.

Of course, at Stanford things are different.  Many season ticket holders will have no problem telling eager Stanford supporters to be quiet and sit down.  I have seen it happen even as the scoreboard asks for people to get up and make noise.  Ironically, many of those same types will be intimidated by a few loud visitors.  Seeking to avoid unnecessary and potentially violent confrontations, I have found that the visitors are routinely allowed to cheer more loudly and with greater liberty.

I suspect this is why many conference alums have no real problem attending games at Stanford Stadium.  And with our attendance challenge, I suspect our "Open House" mindset is a good thing.

[Farm93]

It sounded like a lot of fun.  Wish I could have gone, but I needed to go to Europe now to avoid missing the SC game in October.

2 years ago I was super passionate, but the UCLA crowd generally let me go since I was not really cheering against UCLA.  I generally think home fans do not want negative cheering, so how one cheers plays a role.

And where you sit also plays a role.  The more elite, high donor types usually expect loyalty near them.  When I went to USC last year I had "good" seats, and I was told to shut up almost immediately.

Of course, at Stanford things are different.  Many season ticket holders will have no problem telling eager Stanford supporters to be quiet and sit down.  I have seen it happen even as the scoreboard asks for people to get up and make noise.  Ironically, many of those same types will be intimidated by a few loud visitors.  Seeking to avoid unnecessary and potentially violent confrontations, I have found that the visitors are routinely allowed to cheer more loudly and with greater liberty.

I suspect this is why many conference alums have no real problem attending games at Stanford Stadium.  And with our attendance challenge, I suspect our "Open House" mindset is a good thing.