As much as I know that I bleed purple for Weber State Wildcats, I do not follow WSU sports very closely. It is difficult to attend all the sporting events and balance my already heavily involved load of work on campus.

However, I believe that even if you don’t follow sports, but are a die-hard Wildcat fan, going to just one sporting event will bring out the deepest parts of your WSU fandom. The experience itself could shed light on some hidden purple pride you didn’t even know was there.

I have seen this change in myself a few times. My sporting event experience may be limited, but my roar at sporting events is in full command when I do attend.

I recently attended a hockey game clad in Weber wear head to toe, or purple DC shoes. I held a sign that read “punish them” made by an avid WSU hockey fan. I didn’t have to know the history of all the other games in the season to know that I would scream my heart out in the plight for Wildcat victory. The minute I sat down in the seats and started to watch the game, a beast came alive in me. I was ready to scream, cheer and taunt with the best of them. I think my reaction to the lively hockey game surprised a few fans, considering I was a fresh face.

I wondered after the game if I would have enjoyed it as much if it had been a sport I knew less about. Being part Canadian has put hockey in my blood. Also, I grew up in a house of sports-loving boys, and I can thank my dad for helping me be an educated fan in most sports. I had a personal connection to this particular hockey game as well, because it was WSU against a university from my home town. I didn’t waver a bit in who I wanted to win. I was Wildcat all the way. In this ponderance, I remembered that I brought my friend who is not-so-sports-inclined to the hockey game, and we both left without voices from cheering alongside our fellow Wildcats. So I would assume that, even if I attended a sporting event that isn’t in my realm of knowledge, I would still be just as enthusiastic.

I do believe that is not just knowledge that makes someone a sports fan, but passion. Someone could question my consistency, but no one would question my passion. I do not think someone should be discouraged going to the very last game of a season, because the point is that you went. You showed up with your Wildcat gear and screamed your lungs out in the name of victory at least once. It is an experience I look forward to again and encourage all those who have never been to try it out.

I think that there is so much more to being a fan of sports than just understanding the game. Sometimes it is just understanding how to believe in something.

Before this year, I would not have described myself as a Wildcat. A Wildcat, to me, entails a certain amount of involvement. I never really considered being a part of this Wildcat culture until this year. I got involved, and as lame and student-orientation-like this might sound, it has changed my whole experience at Weber State. I care about what happens on campus. I care about what happens in sports. I love Weber State. Now that I have become such a part of Weber State, I’ve actually become a better student. I’m more involved and I have received awesome opportunities. All of this involvement contributed to me becoming a true Wildcat, but I think attending a sporting event really sealed the deal.

All of these experiences of being involved and becoming a true Wildcat is why it is so easy for me to attend a single sporting event and become just like the rest of the fans that have been there the whole season. I rally with the other fans, roar at our opponents and beat my chest with the rest of them. I may not be able to attend every sporting event, but I treat each one I go to like it’s the Super Bowl, World Cup or Championship Game. I think that the people who follow along with sports make amazing fans, but the ones who are just general lovers of all things Weber State make awesome fans too.