By now, you may have heard that there is a big football game on Saturday. You also may have heard that ESPN’s College Gameday will be on Bascom Hill from 8:00am to 11:00am to talk about the game and the world of college football.
It has become a tradition for students to gather around the commentators and hold up signs that show support for the home team. Over the years, these signs have turned into the best part about the pre-game show, as everybody is trying to get on TV and have their sign featured. This is your official guide for how to make a sign for College Gameday, and some examples of signs that have and have not worked in the past. Get ready to get famous.
The Basics
The signs at College gGameday are usually printed on big poster paper and include a combination of words and pictures. No points awarded for craftsmanship so don’t worry about it not looking pretty. It just needs to be legible and clear.
Gonna need some context for this one.
A picture, clearly, is worth a 1000 words.
Be Funny and Creative
The purpose of these signs is to make people laugh and poke fun at the team you are playing. You can do this by using puns, wordplay, famous quotes, memes, sarcasm, pictures and more. Do your research and get your facts correct – you don’t want to look like an idiot while trying to make somebody else look like an idiot. And try to be more original than “Ohio State Killed Harambe.”
Be funnier than this. And save paper if you’re not creative enough.
Don’t Be That Guy
While trying to be funny, some people take it too far. I don’t really have an example for this game, but just know if you mom sees you on TV with the sign and instantly regrets giving birth to you, maybe the sign is inappropriate. Also, you may not get on TV if your sign contains nudity or explicit language. There’s no point of being funny if nobody is going to see it. The best strategy is to imply something inappropriate without saying it outright. A little more difficult, but very effective.
Be Topical and Relevant
Again to be funny you have to make sense. It is risky to try for something that does not relate to the game or to both schools. Bragging about Wisconsin’s big 20-7 win over Ohio State back in 1946 won’t do very much to intimidate the Buckeye fans. Making jokes about more recent events or players will be much more effective. Also if you are going to use topical references, make sure people understand them. Saying the Buckeyes are as stupid as that one character in that movie from 1981 will be lost on most people. A reference about their stupid mascot- much better.
J.T. Barrett got a DUI. This is topical and relevant. Good work.
Be Mean
Remember when Ohio State beat Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big Ten Championship game a few years ago? Remember how mad you were? Now remember how much you hate this school. Don’t pull any punches. Find out the name of the backup kicker’s mom and make a sign about it. Pull up J.T. Barrett’s middle school report card and make fun of it. The internet is an amazing thing and use it to find all the information you need. Do not hold back.
Stand Out
There will be hundreds of signs for people to see on gameday. Make yours big, make it funny and make it catch the eye. And when you get famous be sure to come thank me.
#8 Wisconsin vs. #2 Ohio State kicks off in Madison at 7:00pm CT this Saturday, and Gameday will be on Bascom from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m.
Featured photo courtesy of ESPN.