You big-city elite media types might not notice up in your ivory towers, but way up in the top left corner of the country, Boise State and Idaho have a little bit of a nasty rivalry going. The included football contest may be endangered, however, now that Boise State’s getting all genteel over their impending move to the MWC and Bronco brass are going on the record in favor of discontinuing the series:
Boise State-Idaho Rivalry Exists, Is Very Mean
[BSU president Bob] Kustra said it’s a “cultural issue,” [...] “It’s a culture that is nasty, inebriated and civilly doesn’t give our fans the respect that any fan should expect when visiting an away team.
“I’ve seen rivalries all over America, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, Texas-Texas A&M, Kansas-Kansas State [...] why would I want to encourage a game where people don’t know how to act like grownups?”
Setting aside for the moment the questionable use of “inebriated” as a pejorative in college football: Kustra may have seen Texas-Texas A&M, but he is clearly unfamiliar with the recent history of Texas-Oklahoma.
All that said: At its core, this loosing of slings and arrows is a smart move. Public feuds are an important first step towards constructing a national brand. (For the record, Idaho president M. Duane Ellis responds, “In-state rivalries are meant to be fun.” I very much like your and Idaho’s idea of fun, good sir. )
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