An observation on Notre Dame Fans this weekend.I stayed all weekend

[mdpitt]

downtown so I had a lot of interaction with the Domers at bars, restaraunts, tailgating, bars after the game and at a Steelers tailgate Sunday. Easily the most random, mostly people I have never met before and 5 sitting behind me at the game. I actually can never remember another fan base I have randomly talked to in over 27 years of being a season ticket holder.

My general perception of Domers is that they are arrogant and self absorbed. I genuinely feel most have the same perception or feeling of being annoyed.

My perception changed radically. Every single interaction was pleasant and I had the feeling they all loved their time in Pittsburgh with many traveling from all over East of the Mississippi. I believe they have been little humbled in the last 15 years and are really enjoying this year's success. I kind of have the feeling that they realize all big programs are more equals today compared to 20 years ago and they just have a really good team beating other good teams.

I was pretty impressed with the Notre Dame fans I interacted with and walked away pleasantly surprised with their demeanor. They travel well and were mild mannered.

 

[Bandie]

Actual ND Alums are among the best fans I've ever been near. The issues come with the subway fans who latched on to ND without any real reason to do so other than that they're generally more up than they are down, historically. Classic front-runners.

People with genuine ties to the school are great.

 

[AuthorJoe]

Actual ND Alums are among the best fans I've ever been near. The issues come with the subway fans who latched on to ND without any real reason to do so other than that they're generally more up than they are down, historically. Classic front-runners.

People with genuine ties to the school are great.

I'm interested in what a genuine tie is? For example I have an uncle and 5 cousins who are ND grads. Is that a genuine tie? Similarly my oldest son is a Pitt graduate so do I have a genuine tie there? Or in your opinion do you have to be a graduate yourself to claim a genuine tie?

 

[Pittx9]

The older the Notre Dame fan is, more likely the better fan he will be. The older guys that went to school there are usually always great people. The 25-45 range of people who didn't go to school there are usually the ones who show up to whatever away game they live closest too. They are the drunk, obnoxious, unintelligent ones. I guess the nickname Irish fits them.

 

[9nationalchampionships]

The whole "subway fan” thing hurt the average ND fan. Every ND fan I know and I know quite a few are good football fans and people. I have always enjoyed playing ND and hope the series continues.

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

I think it's impossible to put any entire fan base in a box, especially one as large as Notre Dame's fan base.

That said, there is no question that the Notre Dame fans you encounter in South Bend are different than the ones you tend to encounter in Pittsburgh.

Trips to South Bend are fun and pleasant. They are wonderful hosts. A lot of people refuse to admit that but it's true. I have been to South Bend a solid 7–8 times and I have never been treated with anything but respect there. There are not many other places where I could make that same claim. It is just a wonderful road trip - one of the best you can experience as a fan of college football.

However, some of the ones you find locally are attracted to Notre Dame because of their personality type. Some are nostalgic ideologues who genuinely see Notre Dame as the "good guys." They are one of the few, or perhaps the only, program that "does things the right way."

For those people, cheering for Notre Dame is not cheering for a college football program, it is supporting a cause. In that way they are very similar to Penn State fans under Paterno.

That mentality is so naïve and arrogant it frightens me. I cannot stand those people because there is no reasoning with that type of idiotic mentality.

I have a close friend who is one such person. He is a good person – an exceptionally good person in fact. He's the type of guy that hands out turkeys to the homeless on Thanksgiving.

However, he buys into the wake up the echoes horseshit propaganda that Knute Rockne invented and which they have capitalized on mightily over the years.

We have been close for a very long time and I love that dude. Back when we were still in school he made me watch Rudy with him. At the end, he excitedly asked me what I thought and I told him it was a propaganda film so brazen that it would make Joseph Goebbels blush.

He would not talk to me for a month or two after that. That remains his favorite film and I still tease him about it to this day. More hilariously, it still upsets him what I joke about it.

Other ND fans are truculent or front runners or just plain contrarians. For those people, their idiocy is not typically limited to their Notre Dame fandom.

I work with a guy just like that. He is a diehard Notre Dame and New York Yankees fan. He also loves the Steelers.

He was also really into cycling whatever Lance Armstrong was winning the Tour de France every year and he was real in everyone's face about it. Just a complete dork on every level. He would cycle to work sometimes and he would bring a change of clothes and it would be that skintight lycra stuff with ads all over it.

I mean, really. Come on, man! Who that is like deciding to take a jog home and dressing in a Steelers uniform, complete with helmet and shoulder pads. It just looks so completely ridiculous.

He gave it to me pretty good this morning. However, I probably deserved it. I have been pretty obnoxious In insisting that we talk about the Tour de France now just like we did whenever Lance was winning all of those titles and he was hopping all over that steroid-infested bandwagon.

He knows I'm just messing with him and he also knows that I know that he has no idea what he's talking about. It was all about Lance and winning and Nike and just being a douche.

However, I still regularly ask him to educate me on the sport and talk to me about Miguel Indurain and Greg LeMond and other cycling legends of the past, as well as who are the top cyclists now. It's pretty funny actually to watch him try to maintain his front even though he's probably 90% convinced that I'm just being difficult for entertainment's sake.

 

[NTOP]

Actual ND Alums are among the best fans I've ever been near. The issues come with the subway fans who latched on to ND without any real reason to do so other than that they're generally more up than they are down, historically. Classic front-runners.

People with genuine ties to the school are great.

Tend to agree. My only visit there for a game....1992?? They were pretty classy. Our group stopped by a Domer RV/fans...the owner hustled inside to get a SCRIPT PITT flag out. Said they had great respect for the long rivalry. This was before Dinocat, so the respect was still intact. They killed us, 40-0.

 

[Pittx9]

He was also really into cycling whatever Lance Armstrong was winning the Tour de France every year and he was real in everyone's face about it.

Hahahaha that is the line of the week my friend. Trash talking from a cycling fan lol.

 

[Pghfan]

I actually always enjoyed Va Tech fans.. Over the last 15 years or so, they've really traveled unbelievable. Remember living in Mt. Washington in '04 and '05 and just recall a ton of Hokie fans walking up and down Grandview, all over Station Square too.. All seemed very pleasant, even after we beat them (two times if I recall, one was the infamous Lousaka game and the other was with Noel as their QB).

The worst fan base IMO was Nebraska in '04.. Yes, they traveled in big numbers and as a whole, what a bunch of arrogant, obnoxious idiots..

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

My worst opposing fan experience, aside from the obvious ones in Morgantown and State College, were actually the Utah fans at the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.

I don't know what I was expecting but they were big league idiots before the game, during the game and especially after the game.

I have heard of sore losers before but I've never encountered an angrier group of fans after a blowout win.

They were downright difficult and I could not understand it because they had beaten the hell out of us just a few hours earlier.

This is not a joke or an embellishment in any way. As we were leaving the stadium, tails tucked firmly between our legs, I saw a group of Utah fans taunting an old woman in a Pittsburgh T-shirt...who was on oxygen! It lead to a fight and the police report and a bunch of other things but I saw it with my own two eyes.

I never root for Utah now because of that experience. I cannot stand the Utes.

As an aside, I had also been to Utah for the Salt Lake City Olympics and that was one of the strangest experiences of my life. The people there are just flat out weird. I cringe to think of how many people worldwide have their opinion of America shaped on the unequivocally aberrant behavior of the Utahans.

 

[Pittx9]

I can't stand Utah either and have heard really bad things about their fans too. I hate Utah and also former coach Urban Meyer because of how rude he was in an interview before the Fiesta Bowl. Question was for Walt Harris but Meyer cut him off and ran off some spew of nonsense.

 

[JS School]

Most fans of any team are generally ok, you just form bad opinions of fan bases when you run into their jerks. As far as Penn St and WVU, we just have more opportunities to run into the jerks.

 

[thebadby2]

downtown so I had a lot of interaction with the Domers at bars, restaraunts, tailgating, bars after the game and at a Steelers tailgate Sunday. Easily the most random, mostly people I have never met before and 5 sitting behind me at the game. I actually can never remember another fan base I have randomly talked to in over 27 years of being a season ticket holder.

My general perception of Domers is that they are arrogant and self absorbed. I genuinely feel most have the same perception or feeling of being annoyed.

My perception changed radically. Every single interaction was pleasant and I had the feeling they all loved their time in Pittsburgh with many traveling from all over East of the Mississippi. I believe they have been little humbled in the last 15 years and are really enjoying this year's success. I kind of have the feeling that they realize all big programs are more equals today compared to 20 years ago and they just have a really good team beating other good teams.

I was pretty impressed with the Notre Dame fans I interacted with and walked away pleasantly surprised with their demeanor. They travel well and were mild mannered.

If you haven't been to a ND home game, you should go. I've been to several ND-Pitt games at ND. Well treated as a Pitt fan every single time. In fact, my tickets were provided by Domers each time, and we tailgated with them as well. Also heard this all day all over campus: "welcome to Notre Dame-have a good time." Great environment and I'd encourage anyone who hasn't been to go to a Pitt game there.

I have had one slightly different experience-I went to the ND v Michigan game last year with a large group in a RV. We parked the rig in a grass lot near the stadium. We ended up next to a big group of Walmart Irish who were just awful. Drunk, stupid, puking, trashy, hostile. We had a couple of UM players' parents join us, (Blake Countess' and Justice Hayes' moms/dads) and these scumbags were dogging them out relentlessly. After the Irish rolled U of M, the dirtbags were rubbing it into our group's faces and being total dirtbags about it. I went there rooting for the Irish but the behavior of these a$$holes nearly changed my mind. It was pathetic and nearly got hostile several times. We had several ex D1 players in our crew including Countess' dad, and the blood pressure was starting to boil. The owner of the lot came over and apologized, told us the group was a bunch of "Goshen factory workers" who park in his lot for every Irish home game. He told me thing s had been bad enough lately that he was considering banning them.

I want to stress that these dirtbags were NOT representative of ND's fan base, they had no affiliation with the school whatsoever. Just a bunch of $hitheels who use the games as an excuse to get drunk and raise hell. Every big program had them, I've certainly seen their equivalent many times at other big programs' games as well. Michigan home games are some of the worst in that regard.

 

[Pittx9]

Most fans of any team are generally ok, you just form bad opinions of fan bases when you run into their jerks. As far as Penn St and WVU, we just have more opportunities to run into the jerks.

Penn State actually does have way more jerks than anywhere though. Every single kid that was at that riot is a jerk. That doesn't even start to mention the psycho older fans who dropped out of high school and live on their parents farm in State College.

 

[JS School]

As far as the jerk portions, I will say NDs are arrogant, WVUs are moronic and PSUs are cult zombies.

 

[JS School]

PSU has more idiot fans because they have more alumni and students and thus more fans. With that comes a bigger cult, and a bigger cult results in more pressure to join the cult.

 

[Pghfan]

I was at the fiesta bowl and came away disliking Utah fans for opposite reasons, they were too nice. Here I am, giving em hell about polygamy, calling them freaks, and they are telling me good luck, have a great game etc.. Kind of annoying that the bars the nights before were void of ute fans, nothing like a little alcohol-induced back and forth at a bowl game and sadly, they were not there..

 

[Pittx9]

Come join our cult!

 

[#99HUGHgreen]

downtown so I had a lot of interaction with the Domers at bars, restaraunts, tailgating, bars after the game and at a Steelers tailgate Sunday. Easily the most random, mostly people I have never met before and 5 sitting behind me at the game. I actually can never remember another fan base I have randomly talked to in over 27 years of being a season ticket holder.

My general perception of Domers is that they are arrogant and self absorbed. I genuinely feel most have the same perception or feeling of being annoyed.

My perception changed radically. Every single interaction was pleasant and I had the feeling they all loved their time in Pittsburgh with many traveling from all over East of the Mississippi. I believe they have been little humbled in the last 15 years and are really enjoying this year's success. I kind of have the feeling that they realize all big programs are more equals today compared to 20 years ago and they just have a really good team beating other good teams.

I was pretty impressed with the Notre Dame fans I interacted with and walked away pleasantly surprised with their demeanor. They travel well and were mild mannered.

Agree. Every Pitt game I've attended in South Bend I've been blown away by how pleasant and respectful the ND fans were. More than a handful of them wanted to strike up a conversation and talk about a player on Pitt they thought was going to be trouble for ND in the game. I never had anyone say anything negative or make any disparaging remarks. It was always about how Pitt was going to be tough to beat or how they always seem to feel a little more worried than usual when Pitt comes to South Bend.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

downtown so I had a lot of interaction with the Domers at bars, restaraunts, tailgating, bars after the game and at a Steelers tailgate Sunday. Easily the most random, mostly people I have never met before and 5 sitting behind me at the game. I actually can never remember another fan base I have randomly talked to in over 27 years of being a season ticket holder.

My general perception of Domers is that they are arrogant and self absorbed. I genuinely feel most have the same perception or feeling of being annoyed.

My perception changed radically. Every single interaction was pleasant and I had the feeling they all loved their time in Pittsburgh with many traveling from all over East of the Mississippi. I believe they have been little humbled in the last 15 years and are really enjoying this year's success. I kind of have the feeling that they realize all big programs are more equals today compared to 20 years ago and they just have a really good team beating other good teams.

I was pretty impressed with the Notre Dame fans I interacted with and walked away pleasantly surprised with their demeanor. They travel well and were mild mannered.

Good post and thank you for talking about your experience. I concur about Notre Dame Fans and they may have the most fans that did not graduate from Notre Dame but love the School and Program anywhere in the country. My Niece was one of the few admitted and graduated with a double major and we enjoyed everything about the University and Athletics!

I have found that if you learn a tiny bit about other Programs and Universities and use that as an introduction and include always a touch of respect that is the best way to embrace the coming game and post game discussions and banter.

I always ask their opinions about their Program, Coaches, and Players, and if they can teach me something that I don't know about it, or tell me a story why or how they became such a fan of the Program and when that happen.

As soon as you see anyone wearing the Hats or Jersey or Jackets with the Logo any friendly Greeting and asking about them and what they think will happen actually increases the experience of every Pre-Game Discussion.

Even Friendly Banter can happen and then ask what Programs they do not like, the more you talk and exchange and listen to each other, the more you enjoy what they have to say, think, and know.

College Football is a passion of mine and I use it as a segue
on any smooth, uninterrupted transition from one Football Program experiences to another.

I term it the "Abraham Principle" when Abraham left his Home in Iraq to go to Canaan and had to develop survival skill among Strangers and later when he established himself he would search out Strangers and welcome them into his Home and served them to refresh as they learned about one another as they travelled. It is the only way to survive as people interacting and come to enjoy one another and College Football. Once you get to know each other it is easy to respect one another.

The only place it may not work is if they are so drunk and are incoherent, and that is just futility to avoid? Abraham was favored by G-d for welcoming strangers and because it is the only way Man-Womankind can survive together and enjoy life while we have it on this planet.

 

[Panther Holla]

At the pregame band concert outside Heinz, the Pitt band struck up "Rock me like a hurricane". I turned to the ND fan next to me and snarled, we should not be playing this damn Miami song. I can't stand those criminals." He smiled, and we started talking.

Turns out he was from Altoona. Did not find out if he was an ND grad or a subway alum, but he and his wife were happy to have a road game within easy reach. He didn't attend the Temple game but said his friends informed him that the Temple fans were pretty rough on the Irish fans. Welcome to Philadelphia, I guess.

Dude had a lot of respect for Pitt, Narduzzi and the long series between the Panthers and Irish, the way Pitt has a knack for bringing the A-game to ND most years. He remembered seeing Dan Marino play at Mansion Park in high school. I told him the mention of Allen Pinkett makes me wince to this day.

Good stuff. We watched both bands give an excellent show. ND's band is world-class but Pitt's is getting bigger and better.

Our section had a sprinkling of Domers. Everyone got along fine; the ND fans seemed to take the blowout victory in stride. As much as we may want to believe this is a "rivalry" game, the ND perspective is that Pitt is a long-time, respected opponent like Navy or Purdue, but nothing to get the Irish up like a Southern California or Michigan or Sparty. Or Miami. But that's not a bad thing. And I don't believe Pitt fans bring any more ill will toward ND than fans of most other schools who appear on the ND schedule with any regularity.

Notre Dame carries the bullseye every week.

 

[pierre93]

Most ND fans are nice and the hospitality they showed us while we attended games in South Bend were great. ND has the best college atmosphere including campus scenery in college football. JMO

 

[Pittx9]

Most ND fans are nice and the hospitality they showed us while we attended games in South Bend were great. ND has the best college atmosphere including campus scenery in college football. JMO

The Notre Dame fans on the road are incredibly annoying and arrogant. I've never heard a bad thing about their fans in South Bend though. I would love to go to a Pitt/ND game up there one day. Totally agree, nothing in college football compares to a game at Notre Dame. It is the mecca of college football.

 

[HunkyPanther]

Been to south bend several times...very pleasant experience. On the other hand, cant stand the subway fans. Countless number are from the Pittsburgh area and did not go to ND, aren't even of Irish descent. I am ok with them being fans, but the subway fans seem like the ones that want to rub it in your face the most.

 

[California Panther]

My worst opposing fan experience, aside from the obvious ones in Morgantown and State College, were actually the Utah fans at the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.

I don't know what I was expecting but they were big league idiots before the game, during the game and especially after the game.

I have heard of sore losers before but I've never encountered an angrier group of fans after a blowout win.
.

I too was at the Fiesta Bowl vs Utah and I totally agree with your statements, most I encountered were rude and arrogant. Plus I'll never forget their coach running a hook-and-lateral up 4 TDs! But the whole state of Utah isn't bad because when I was at the BYU game in the late 80s, they were very kind people, actually one of the best treatments I've ever received as a visiting fan, but Syracuse a couple of weeks ago were also very hospitable.

 

[thebadby2]

Been to south bend several times...very pleasant experience. On the other hand, cant stand the subway fans. Countless number are from the Pittsburgh area and did not go to ND, aren't even of Irish descent. I am ok with them being fans, but the subway fans seem like the ones that want to rub it in your face the most.

the subway fans seem like the ones that want to rub it in your face the most.

Very true. They tend to be the same kind of fans you see at NFL and NHL games, hostile, drunk and stupid, looking for conflict. No affiliation with the school whatsoever,, other than maybe geography. Michigan has them in spades too-but the difference is, the true Michigan fans-the students and alums-tend to be a$$holes as well, they're just a lot haughtier and a little less vulgar about it. I haven't found that to be the case with ND alums and students. One thing I've noticed at ND home games is there are always a lot of students from the opposing school at ND hanging out with people they know there. Everyone gets along. It's not like wearing a Michigan jersey in the OSU students section or vice versa where your allegiance to your own school may cost you your life.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

If you haven't been to a ND home game, you should go. I've been to several ND-Pitt games at ND. Well treated as a Pitt fan every single time. In fact, my tickets were provided by Domers each time, and we tailgated with them as well. Also heard this all day all over campus: "welcome to Notre Dame-have a good time." Great environment and I'd encourage anyone who hasn't been to go to a Pitt game there.

I have had one slightly different experience-I went to the ND v Michigan game last year with a large group in a RV. We parked the rig in a grass lot near the stadium. We ended up next to a big group of Walmart Irish who were just awful. Drunk, stupid, puking, trashy, hostile. We had a couple of UM players' parents join us, (Blake Countess' and Justice Hayes' moms/dads) and these scumbags were dogging them out relentlessly. After the Irish rolled U of M, the dirtbags were rubbing it into our group's faces and being total dirtbags about it. I went there rooting for the Irish but the behavior of these a$$holes nearly changed my mind. It was pathetic and nearly got hostile several times. We had several ex D1 players in our crew including Countess' dad, and the blood pressure was starting to boil. The owner of the lot came over and apologized, told us the group was a bunch of "Goshen factory workers" who park in his lot for every Irish home game. He told me thing s had been bad enough lately that he was considering banning them.

I want to stress that these dirtbags were NOT representative of ND's fan base, they had no affiliation with the school whatsoever. Just a bunch of $hitheels who use the games as an excuse to get drunk and raise hell. Every big program had them, I've certainly seen their equivalent many times at other big programs' games as well. Michigan home games are some of the worst in that regard.

There is one annoying aspect experience I have when at Ann Arbor Campus. The students make it a point they have the Right Away all the time when crossing the Streets on Campus. They will just walk in front even as you drive slow and begin to move after some crossed, they keep coming and even when your car is right in the middle of the crosswalk already moving.

I was told it is a tradition of students coming first but the grins on some of their faces that do it while you are in middle and makes you stop tells me that they enjoy doing it often and do not care and that smacks of pique!

 

[rpost3]

Buncha sellout glory seekers who choose not to root for their local team or their school

 

[Pittx9]

Buncha sellout glory seekers who choose not to root for their local team or their school

Are you referring to the Notre Dame kids in the student section Saturday? That should never, ever happen.

 

[ncyajleel]

I have found that too. The older fans were pretty cool, the younger ones were punks. Maybe that's most fan bases, but being between PoSU and wvu we never see that. We were walking to the stadium with them, you put your arm around them and talk and they were very kind. They don't invade your turf like they own it like the two schools mentioned above do. They realize they are the guest and they act the part.

The older the Notre Dame fan is, more likely the better fan he will be. The older guys that went to school there are usually always great people. The 25-45 range of people who didn't go to school there are usually the ones who show up to whatever away game they live closest too. They are the drunk, obnoxious, unintelligent ones. I guess the nickname Irish fits them.

 

[Pittx9]

I have found that too. The older fans were pretty cool, the younger ones were punks. Maybe that's most fan bases, but being between PoSU and wvu we never see that. We were walking to the stadium with them, you put your arm around them and talk and they were very kind. They don't invade your turf like they own it like the two schools mentioned above do. They realize they are the guest and they act the part.

Yeah the thing is the old-timers just remember the real glory days of Notre Dame and love their team. The young punks who have never been within 100 miles of Notre Dame are the ones who give the fanbase a bad name.

As for Penn State, actually there's some older fans that are just as bad and honestly... creepy. Again with them the young kids who just happen to live in PA are the annoying pricks. But it is mostly their older fans that make up their own fantasy world where Jerry is innocent and JoePa was the "god" they prayed to at church (klan rallies).

 

[levance2]

There were plenty of ND "fans" at Heinz that probably couldn't even tell you what state the school is in.

 

[ncyajleel]

You're probably right about that.

There were plenty of ND "fans" at Heinz that probably couldn't even tell you what state the school is in.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

As for Penn State, actually there's some older fans that are just as bad and honestly... creepy. Again with them the young kids who just happen to live in PA are the annoying pricks. But it is mostly their older fans that make up their own fantasy world where Jerry is innocent and JoePa was the "god" they prayed to at church (klan rallies).
Spot on and many Good PSU Alumni agree with me, and say it is mostly from the Philly Region where they hate many things about sports growing up as Philly Fans? I just respond that does not excuse such behavior and that still reflects badly on Penn State?

Some of those Older Fans are just as bad as the Students that rioted and trashed their own campus?

 

[ncyajleel]

As you get older, you grow out of a lot of things as a fan. I don't mean to offend the younger fans, but there are a lot of things you don't do when you get older as fans. Not a lot of penn state fan or wvu fans grow out of anything from what I have seen.

Yeah the thing is the old-timers just remember the real glory days of Notre Dame and love their team. The young punks who have never been within 100 miles of Notre Dame are the ones who give the fanbase a bad name.

As for Penn State, actually there's some older fans that are just as bad and honestly... creepy. Again with them the young kids who just happen to live in PA are the annoying pricks. But it is mostly their older fans that make up their own fantasy world where Jerry is innocent and JoePa was the "god" they prayed to at church (klan rallies).

 

[Pittx9]

spot on and many Good PSU Alumni agree with me, and say it is mostly from the Philly Region where they hate many things about sports growing up as Philly Fans? I just respond that does not excuse such behavior and that still reflects badly on Penn State?

Yes, and the whole Sandusky thing has many ties to the Philadelphia politicians as well. It is a very corrupt area and it does represent the worst of Penn State. But really State College is not any better.

 

[pittdan77]

Friend of mine is a Domer and made it over for the game. Said there are always one or two but said that Pitt and ND belong together and the fans get along. Said the only open harassment he witnessed was when a guy in a PSU shirt walked through. Guess he was offered a lot of suggestions of where he could go and what he could do when he got there.

 

[Pittx9]

Friend of mine is a Domer and made it over for the game. Said there are always one or two but said that Pitt and ND belong together and the fans get along. Said the only open harassment he witnessed was when a guy in a PSU shirt walked through. Guess he was offered a lot of suggestions of where he could go and what he could do when he got there.

Actually talked to someone at the game about this. Sickening to see people wear Penn State jerseys to Pitt games. I mean I'm already all for heckling anyone wearing Penn State gear, but it seems like these people to do it to try and show how proud they are that they just come to a Pitt game but wear Penn State gear like it's some symbol of greatness. Really it's a symbol of disgust.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Yes, and the whole Sandusky thing has many ties to the Philadelphia politicians as well. It is a very corrupt area and it does represent the worst of Penn State. But really State College is not any better.

Yeah, that region is not known for the Best & Brightest, PnnyLiar is from Port Vue and proves it every day, and could not get into or graduate from Penn State, but worships at the Altar of Hate! Smart Beats Dumb & Dumpsters!

 

[GrowthHormone]

I'm interested in what a genuine tie is? For example I have an uncle and 5 cousins who are ND grads. Is that a genuine tie? Similarly my oldest son is a Pitt graduate so do I have a genuine tie there? Or in your opinion do you have to be a graduate yourself to claim a genuine tie?

Cousins? Hell no. Child? Yeah, probably counts.