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Nov. 17, 2017
www.havredailynews.com
Respect the rivalry, respect each other From the Fringe...
George Ferguson Sports Editor
Maybe it’s my age, maybe it’s the fact that I’ve watched the Cat-Griz rivalry for about as long as I can remember now. Maybe it’s just part of growing up. But whatever it is, I’m going to make a plea to all of you Griz and Bobcat fans who are gearing up for the 117th Brawl of the Wild this Saturday. And that plea is simple. Wherever you are, and whoever you’re with, can you all please treat each other at least decently? Can you all at the very least, treat each other with some respect and class? Look, I’m not trying to take the fun out of this rivalry. It’s something so special to the state of Montana, and it is truly a rivalry in every sense of the word. It’s no different that Michigan/Ohio State, North Carolina/Duke, Auburn/Alabama or the Yankees and the Red Sox. In fact, because of how small our state is, and with no professional sports in Montana, the Cat-Griz game might even be more special than those rivalries I just mentioned, and people who haven’t experienced, can’t possibly understand. So because of that, I expect animosity, I expect hard feelings, I expect jokes, and teasing and ribbing at each other’s expense. And whoever wins Saturday, I expect for that fan base to brag for the next 364 days. I expect the winning team to gloat and parade the Great Divide Trophy around Bobcat Stadium. I expect all of that. But, no matter how intense this rivalry is, no matter how heated it is, no matter how divided we are as Bobcats or Grizzlies, what I don’t expect is fans treating each other badly. What I don’t expect is for things to get out of hand. The Cat-Griz rivalry will be a rivalry no mat-
ter how much respect we and decency we show to each other as fans. It will be the rivalry we all love, without people getting in fights over it in bars, without name-calling, with vandalism and without harassment. The rivalry doesn’t need any of that to be the rivalry it is. Especially, in this time, where there is so much divisiveness it seems in this country, there doesn’t need to be any of that between us, as Montanan’s. In other words, you can love the Cats, you can love the Griz, you can dislike the other team, the other school, and all of that, without a bunch of immature nonsense. Trust me, you can do that, and the rivalry will not be softened or cheapened. No one needs to behave like the Alabama fan who poisoned the trees at Auburn to make this rivalry what it is. And if you don’t believe me, watch the players on both sides Saturday. They’re going to treat each other with respect and class. Watch them come together after the game is over. If they can do it, so can we. So, wherever you are Saturday, in a bar, at a tailgate party, or at Bobcat Stadium, please, just be decent to each other. Treat each other with respect. This special thing we have, Montana vs Montana State, Cat-Griz, the Brawl of the Wild, whatever you want to call it, it’s so special and, even from the stands, it needs to be treated with class and respect, and treating each other with class and respect is exactly how you honor this great football game.