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Due to circumstances beyond your control, you’re at a college stadium that is not your own. Maybe this is the result of a poorly planned road trip or a drug-induced craze. It doesn’t truly matter. The point is: you are at a foreign college stadium and you now need to blend in with the crowd or face the harassment of belligerent drunks. You could certainly go to the college bookstore and purchase some overpriced gear, but if you find yourself on drug-fueled road trips regularly this could shatter your wallet. So here are some tips that will allow you to commiserate like you’re on your home turf no matter what college stadium you find yourself in or what team you’re rooting for.
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Neutral Clothing
Your outfit should be plain and simple so as not to draw attention or disdain from any fellow college students. While a plain white Hanes T-shirt accompanied by a pair of blue jeans is boring garb, it’ll allow you to blend in seamlessly. If the college game is outdoors and it’s cold or even just chilly weather, all you need to do is find a jacket with absolutely no college sports branding. If this jacket happens to have colors representing the opposing college team, it doesn’t matter; you can always explain that this particular jacket is your warmest jacket.
Tailgating and Interacting With Fans
Joining in the boozed-filled antics with the college stadium natives shouldn’t be difficult. Before any interaction with fans, learn the basics of their team. You can do this with a quick read-through of that college team’s ESPN page. Once you have all the necessary knowledge, you are ready to interact with fans. If asked, tell them you drove up to the game from far away. You will be treated well if you are a road-tripping fan; fans appreciate fans who put in an effort for a game day experience. Only interact with large groups so you can slip in unnoticed; soon the group will just assume you’re one of them. By the time anyone thinks to question you, you’ll be a few free beers in and have a nice buzz going on as you enter the stadium.
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Cheers and Chants
Most college teams have certain traditional celebratory acts that fans of the teams know to participate in. Many of these chants and cheers are quite obvious and can easily be figured out on the spot. However, if you want to fully participate with the college herd sans awkwardness, just do a Google search before game time about the college team’s chants. Thanks to the internet, you’re never really a stranger anywhere anymore.
