The 6th Man

At Utah State basketball games in Logan, where some of my kids go to school, where some of my kids are diehard Aggie fans, there is a phenomenon called The 6th Man. Besides the 5 players on the court, the student section is considered the 6th man on the team. Those kids are organized with chants, actions and dare I say insults for the opposing team. (Especially BYU!) As a group they can be so loud and intimidating that they've been featured on national TV for the influence they have at games. Bruce and I were lucky enough to go to a game last night where we were able to see Brian and Lindsey in action. (Peter would have been there too, but he was busy hosting an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party at his apartment.)

My kids plan ahead so that they get front row seats- no obstructions for them!

The games start with the school song- complete with actions:

 Then when the opposing team is introduced, the whole student body turns their backs to the court!

 Big Blue, the Aggie mascot made his way up through the crowd,

 And Santa came to show his Aggie Pride.

 On this particular night, the school honored this player who is wearing the letter jacket.

 5 days before this game, his heart stopped during a practice. Quick action, a defibrillator, and good medical attention saved his life. He was given a pacemaker and might be ready to play again in 6 weeks!

The cheerleaders put on a good show:

But back to that 6th Man. In the past there was a student named Wild Bill who lead the cheers, jeers and chants. He graduated last year, so this is the new leader of the bunch:

 Attractive.

Here's sampling of what my kids did during the game:

 I had a great time watching Brian and Lindsey having so much fun. Oh- there was a basketball game, too.

 The game was a blowout- Utah State won by 30 points, which brought on the chant of:
WINNERS!

 LOSERS!

 Way to go, 6th Man!