The fall Andover/Exeter weekend is the most intense sporting event of the year. In recent years, however, the shifting focus to “enjoying the rivalry” has diminished the intrinsically competitive nature of the games. The point of the weekend is to dominate Exeter and show our superiority as a school through our athletic teams. While we understand the importance of behaving respectfully, we would assume that beating Exeter is still the primary objective. The fans should feel every bit as involved in the games as the players and should be as loud and intense as possible. The overemphasis on political correctness and potential insensitivity of Andover cheers and Andover fans has taken some of the fire out of the games and taken a lot of the fire out of the crowd. The athletes feed off the intensity of the crowd, and a toned-down crowd hurts their performance on the field. There is not a problem with shoving our dominance in Exeter’s face by shouting “Scoreboard” in a winning effort or yelling “Safety School” to jeer Exies. One of the best parts of the football game is hearing both schools shouting cheers at each other, taunting each other, over the din of the action on the field. And this verbal warfare takes nothing away from the actual game. It should be an unspoken requirement of any rivalry game, especially one as storied as Andover/Exeter. In this same spirit, the Exies will not heed any advice to tone down the virulence of their cheers, chanting “What Do We Do, Kill You” across the sideline at the Andover crowd or hanging huge banners saying “Screw the Blue.” As a player, hearing your crowd taunted in this manner and not hearing any response diminishes your swagger and confidence and, ultimately, hurts your performance on the field. We ought to remind them that our school was the blueprint for theirs. They were not original enough to create their own mottos, so they copied ours. Andover fans need to be respectful, but should not fear disciplinary action for verbally mixing it up with some Exies. Do not be like the Exies and cheer when an opposing player gets injured. Do not be like the Exies and shout curses and slurs at opposing players. However, do cheer when an opposing player makes a mistake that benefits Andover. Do cheer when that goofy Griffin mascot trips over his own tail and face-plants into the ground. Victory at Andover/Exeter is a source of pride for not only students but also alumni. In 20 years, whether you won or lost at Andover/Exeter will matter a lot more than if you “enjoyed the rivalry.” Is it really possible to “enjoy the rivalry” when hundreds of Exies are stomping and celebrating at midfield on our home turf? At the same time, is there anything better than the elation after a win in your final Andover/Exeter? Andover and Exeter alumni cross paths all over the professional world. An Andover victory at A/E gives our alumni bragging rights over their Exie colleagues. Winning is most important. Having fun will take care of itself in a winning effort. Thus, we implore Andover students to do everything in their power as spectators to will their athletes to victory on Saturday. Be loud and intimidating; show them that this is our house. We don’t want any violence, but there’s nothing wrong with continuing the tradition of school pride and enthusiastic support for our athletic teams. Keep the cheers classy but not wimpy. Don’t be so worried about hurt feelings or insensitive chants. After all, they’re only Exies.
