Years ago, my father, who had an undying allegiance to Notre Dame, instilled in me a genuine love for football. Childhood memories of autumn always take me back to Saturday afternoons with mom and dad listening to the radio during every game. I can still remember the excitement and energy, the cheers and screams. Rest assured, win or lose, that team had our family behind them.

What about NIU? Do the fans have an undying allegiance to the Huskies? Until recently, I never realized football could be such a quiet sport. During the match-up with Southwest Missouri State, there were times you could almost hear a pin drop in the stands. A few times, the kicker was out on the field, waving his arms frantically, signaling to us to make noise, get crazy, cheer, probably also wondering if we were still out there.

As a fan, I was a little embarrassed. Is this his responsibility as a player? How about the cheerleaders who are out there at every game? They are as bright, as energetic and as gymnastic as any squad I’ve ever seen.

In trying to understand the long silences, I decided to look up the word “cheer” in Webster’s. In short, it says: glad, excited, shout used to urge on, welcome, approve, support and congratulate.

Maybe Huskie fans don’t know what cheer to yell. Maybe they don’t realize how contagious a cheer and a smile can be. Or how fan reaction can send a strong, positive message to the team.

Let’s face it fans, football games offer us one of those rare opportunities as adults to yell and get a little crazy and it’s okay.

Maybe as fans we should take responsibility. After all, we are the biggest group out there. Together as students, community members and loyal fans, we can create that much needed energy. We can let the team know we are there for them.

Kelly Saunders

DeKalb