Why Boise State Supporters Don’t Get It and Why I Can’t Stand Them

Boise State University President Bob Kustra just doesn’t get it. It also filters all-the-way through to its supporters. They have a good football team, but when it comes to everything else they just don’t measure up. They are nasty, mean, uninformed and ignorant.
I’m a University of Idaho alum and I bleed silver and gold. It is a great university and I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else. It is also the Land Grant University in the state of Idaho which means that it provides services through its agriculture extension offices throughout the entire state while also focusing its teaching in agriculture, science and engineering.

Because of this, the University of Idaho has an extensive endowment and last year brought in more that $89 million in research funding (that is 74-percent of all research funding of Idaho’s public universities).

The University of Idaho also contributes nearly $1 billion to the Idaho economy on an annual basis. So for $1 of state money given to the University of Idaho, they return $9 to the state economy.

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In athletics, the Vandal football team has been down for a few years but are on their way back. They had some bad coaches, but have a great one now in Robb Akey and he is rebuilding a great program. In other sports, they are coming on thanks to an initiative to invest in the athletic facilities.

Boise State University has a great football team now, but there was a time when it wasn’t that great. It is cyclical. There was a time when the University of Idaho football team beat the Broncos 12 years in-a-row. This year the Broncos for a 12th win in-a-row. You will be up for a while, but it always comes back to haunt you.

But there are many supporters of the Broncos who feel that because they have a good football team, they deserve to be the premiere university in the state. That is just not true. Having a good football team means that you have a good football team. That’s it.

BSU doesn’t have much more to promote than their football team. If you look at their promotional videos they promote their football team and blue football field. You see it on their website where photos shuffle between photos of their field and team. All they have is their football team.

BSU serves an important role in the Treasure Valley. They started as a Junior College and have evolved into a state university that provides classes and degrees for mainly commuter students. It allows students to earn college degrees while working. There is nothing wrong with that.

The three public universities compliment each other, but the University of Idaho is the flagship.

But whenever you bring this up, the BSU supporters and fans always point to their football team and degrade everyone else. They also point to the rivalry with Idaho and say it is not a rivalry anymore because Idaho hasn’t beaten them in 11 years. They also say they have been mistreated.

Well you go look at any other rivalry in this country, barbs and insults fly from both sides. I’m sure BSU fans feel like they have been mistreated. I can say that Vandal fans are mistreated when the games are played at Bronco Stadium in Boise. When my wife was in the University of Idaho Marching Band, she had food and drink thrown at her, insults and unkind words said. Rivalries are meant to be fun and this is part of the fun.

This is nothing new in any rivalry in this country. So when President Bob Kustra said the Vandal culture is nasty, inebriated, it really went to the next level. It is totally un-called for, especially by the president of a university.

It is really enabled they BSU supporters to unload all their guns on the University of Idaho. It has also enabled some of their employees also. Coach Peterson doesn’t feel that the game needs to be played in Moscow anymore, the BSU cross country coach was reprimanded by the WAC for saying the Idaho fans had bad sportsmanship at the WAC Cross Country Championships last month, and the BSU band director raised concerns about taking the band to the game tomorrow night.

All of this is uncalled for and just needs to stop. Rivalries are fun and enjoyable and one of the greatest things of the college experience. This is a great rivalry and needs to continue.

BSU fans need to get realistic where they fit in the State of Idaho, college football, and college athletics. They also need to understand that this is all cyclical. They are a great football team now, but won’t be this good forever.

Now. If they go undefeated, they should not be denied a birth in a BCS game. If they do, Congress and the Federal Government should unleash all guns on the BCS and end this farse.

But I hope the Vandals pull off the upset and take down Boise State tomorrow evening. I will always be a Vandal, nothing will change that. Go Vandals!