When we set out to create this Colorado State University versus University of Colorado Boulder special edition, we wanted to look at the whole picture.
Geographically, CSU and CU are about 44 miles apart, but as schools, we could not be more different. CSU has an agricultural background, while CU has a more traditional academic background. Despite this, CSU is six years older than CU, which was founded in 1876.
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Somewhere along the way the last 147 years, a fierce and bitter rivalry was born between the two neighboring institutions. It seems almost impossible to walk through campus in the winter months without seeing “F CU” signs drawn on snowy cars or plastered on windows. I’ve always found this strange; I know school rivalries are part of the experience of attending college, but I think most students, like myself, considered CU as a college option as well.
I’m a journalist, so of course, I’m inclined to ask the “why” question. Why do we hate an institution that is a stone’s throw away from us? Why do students who could have ended up attending that university find it so easy to hate it? And why, at the end of the day, do rivalries fuel us so much?
You can examine the small moments across the decades: the 1999 tear-gassing at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, the poisoning of CSU’s first mascot, Peanuts, in 1918 or even the morbidly coincidental death of CAM before the Rocky Mountain Showdown in 2015. It all cumulates in a lot of hate and coincidences that have bubbled into the rivalry we have today.
As this series shifts to being played on home turfs instead of neutral common ground in Denver, I hope each and every fan in attendance gets to witness a special tradition, one that defines the collegiate experience. I also hope each and every fan stays safe and remembers boundaries. As a newspaper, I certainly hope we do not have to report on the actions of any CSU fan after the game.
While CSU and CU might be different — the veterinary school versus the law school, the cultural and political differences between Fort Collins and Boulder and even the administration at the helm of these football teams — we are all from the same beautiful state of Colorado. We are all similar ages and have alike goals and desires. We have more in common than might appear on game day.
For your reading enjoyment this week, we’ve curated content that examines the rivalry and the differences between these two schools across every element of our cultures: athletic, academic, scientific, economic and artistic. For being so close geographically, the differences are sometimes staggering.
It might seem like this is just a football game, but it is also a deep reflection of the difference 44 miles can draw. While this year’s rivalry football game will be featured on ESPN’s College GameDay and filled with passionate fans, it’s both an homage to tradition and a way of looking toward the future.
The Rocky Mountain Showdown has been dormant for four years. However, with social media, the lack of transparency around student tickets and the presence of CU’s new football coach, Deion Sanders, the stage is set to be bigger and more dramatic than ever before. As we head into this exciting weekend, remember that being a Ram and a Ram fan means showing respect and kindness to the other side. It is a special feeling to cheer on your university, but make sure it doesn’t come at the expense of your or someone else’s safety.
We all should feel incredibly lucky to attend a university with such a storied history and a fiery rivalry. We at The Collegian are looking forward to bringing you a week filled with differences, similarities and comparisons between us and our fiercest rival. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed learning about it.
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As always, go Rams! Enjoy this week filled with traditions, and remember to be kind.
Allie Seibel, editor in chief
Reach the editorial board at letters@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.
