Show Best Ayailable Copy Section 78 Sunday February IS 2004 Paget The Herald Journal oTb I A Text by Wade Denniston Photos by Mitch Mascaro lyier Olsen coaxes the crowd into standing to do “the wave during a ifecent men’s basketball game Proof of two long-hel- d assumptions: 1 ) Fans can make a difference 2)- Even smart people can act like idiots : he statement above appeared in die Aug 10 1998 issue of Sports Illustrate Ttemuazine was referring to the Camerdn'Cranes who iust may be the most notorious fans in all ot sports Anybody who has ever been to a Puke University home basketball gune at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham NC C or watched one on television would most likely agree A statement found on Duke’s Internet site “References to the puts it stadium invariably use words such as ‘bedlam’ and ‘chaos’ We at Duke take pride in this and endeavor to maintain the most hostile playing environment in college basketball” j:: Just ask the Blue Devils fans really do make a difference at baUgames lyier Olsen current ASUSU athletics vice president certainly noticed that when he played football for Utah State In his final year of eligibility (2001) the Aggies traveled to Baton Rouge Laand took on the Louisiana State University Tigers in hunt of a whopping crowd of 87756 ‘Tremember how cool it was to seeso many people and they were all unified" Olsen said Nowadays Olsen is doing his pait to ' unify the Aggie feiihfiil By die looks of rir : matter-of-facd- y: : 'r- C V things it definitely sedns to be working Don’t believe it? Just attend a men’s bas- kethall game at theSmith Spectrum — only two remain thougftrbfcginmng Thursday vs UC Riverside — and you’ll walk out a believer Thanks in large part to Olsen’s energy end endeavor Aggie mania seems to be at the highest level ithas been in recent memory It also helps that the men’s team is currently ranked 19th in the nation in The Associated Press poll and 23rd in the ESPNUSA Today pollTb promote unity among fans Olsen and a few of his friends concocted a plan for a T-shirt This happened several gunes into the campaign After much Aggies’ 2003-0barnstorming it was decided the shirt would take on this look: Be blue ' Have “Utah State” written across the chest with the numeral one directly below that and “Aggies” written across navel Have “Show'EmYour A Game” written on the back Inside the large A would be a v: V- V' bun The finished product was an instant hit “I really had the idea that it could (be but I never knew if it would” said : Olseni when asked if it is amazing to him to see how many fans are wearing those shirts mound town oh game days " I had this A vision of what Utah State could be “I could see it happening I just didn’t know if people would buy into it if people would do it : ' They have And Aggie payers have noticed “I thinkhe (Olsen) has done a great job this year refer as getting people excited to ' come to the games” USU sophomore for-ward Nate HarrissaidThe shirts Were a great idea to get Aggie blue in the stands “Everybody caught on to it everybody y wears die shirts” Not quite everybody but it seems like it Olsen estimated of the people who attended the Aggies’ game vs Cal Poly on Feb S at the Spectrum which seats 10£70 were wearing tire shirt or at least V A'nmelhing Mini tar Olsen would ooe day like to show up at the Spectrum an game day and see all the 4 & pos-sib- k) Far left: Olsen hands out candy to three-fourt- hs thircrowd at a women's Left The “show 'em your A” slogan a familiar sight in Aggie ‘ la becoming v CTpWOB sneed blue in the stands” Olsen emphasized “It really throws it off if j got one person in tea know it’s nitMng (where) we’re try-ito make a tradition in one year and sometimes traditions take five 10 years1 Bat If I could just get people to remember before you go to a Utah State game throw on a blue sweatshirt It doesn’t even have to be a Utah Stale shirt although that would be BRMrea Whkh is exactfy why the USU shirt Olsen has helped create sells so cheaply-$5 fer ( Am' : v r 1 sea of Aggie blue shirts face opposing teams when they're at the foul hie Above: A and banner ng ' ! - Top right Jason D6nsona member of the Mad Cows and Tawnya ' Carlson rub the home on Denson'S helmet in an attempt to bring Aggie shooters luck whle at the foul hie — :v v trV tWA v' “i Vv : v’ - f See BLUB on’ CJ : v v ' : volleyball match: Olsen bought around 150000 pieces of the blue candy to hand out at athletic events this year A : W : v’ i |