The letter “F” is currently missing on the campus of Ashland University. As you walk from building to building, you may notice there is one or multiple pieces of red tape present on signs, crossing out the letter. Football players cleared up the confusion among AU students when they revealed this was done due to their conference rivalry game coming up against Findlay at home on Nov. 8.
Findlay is currently undefeated overall and ranked at the top of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference standings. Ashland is undefeated in conference play; however, they picked up a loss on the road against Indianapolis in a nonconference matchup, landing them second in the G-MAC rankings. The matchup is a highly anticipated game that ultimately decides who the best football team in the conference is.
Crossing out the first letter of a rival team the week of the matchup stems from a century-old fanbase tradition at Ohio State. The week that Ohio State plays Michigan, every “M” on campus is crossed out to show their disapproval for everything about Michigan down to the letter. Ashland freshman football players decided to copy this tradition, aiming to promote attendance at the game and give the players motivation to defeat Findlay and take the crown as leaders of the G-MAC.
Freshman Blake Linsley was a member of the freshman squad who put up the tape. “We thought it would be a great opportunity to enhance team spirit and build some hype around campus for the upcoming rivalry game,” Linsley said.
The freshmen did this without any approval from Ashland administration or their football coaches. “We were not told to do this by anyone, nor did we ask for permission,” Linsley said. “But I did hear that one of our coaches thought it was pretty funny.”
AU Facilities admitted they panicked when the mischievous act was first brought to their attention but soon realized it was all in the name of school spirit. “I did go up to one to make sure it was just tape and would not have any damaging effect on the new signs,” said Rick Ewing, vice president of Operations and Planning. He hopes the tape will “disappear as mysteriously as it appeared” in a “careful and non-damaging way” after the game.
The confusion among Ashland students is apparent as the tape turns heads and gets them talking. It spreads the word about the importance of the upcoming game and may urge more students to stay for the weekend and support the football team. The atmosphere during the game is expected to be strong as Ashland fans rally for an Eagle victory and a G-MAC regular-season title.
