In college football rivalry, the tradition of “Planting The Flag” is a huge topic. At the end of the season every team plays their rivals whether it be an in state or just a rivalry between random schools set generations before us. It is asserting your team’s dominance or claiming the team owns their opponent’s field.
The Purpose: On the last game of the season, teams play their rivals; for example, NC State plays the Tar Heels, Florida State plays Florida, and even more crazy games happen. These teams have a generational hate for each other, so there are many traditions teams do when they win against their rival, with planting the flag being one of the main ones.
How it started: With this tradition being around for decades, NFL player Baker Mayfield made this big again. In 2017, Mayfield beat the Ohio State Buckeyes 31-16, the same year he won the Heisman Trophy with the Oklahoma Sooners. When he did it, there was a huge fight between the teams, and it was a huge controversy.
“I mean I like when they get riled up it’s a part of football,” said Brayden Bell.”It’s like us and south Brunswick, it’s all just fun.”
Pros:
- Be a celebration of pride and victory.
- Help engage the fans by getting them riled up.
- Seeing that your team has your back through fights
“The fights I don’t think are good for the sport, “said Brian Covington. The tradition of it is what we all look for in college football though.”
Cons:
- Shows a lack of sportsmanship
- These poor reactions can reflect on alumni, supporters, and the public
- Can be disrespectful towards the opposing team
- Face penalties from the league for unsportsmanlike conduct
- It can distract from the actual achievement of winning the game.
What’s to Come: Although many teams participate in planting the flag, on Saturday night, during the ESPN halftime broadcast of the Texas A&M game, there was talk about potential punishment that might come down on these teams that engage and participate in flag-planting activities post-game. Even though it has been an ongoing tradition for years, some feel that it’s not worth risking their reputation and the controversy that comes with it.
Wrap-up: Coaches and sports analysts have been in controversy about the subject. Most have been saying that this behavior (fights about the flag) should be prohibited from the game because of the distraction it brings, and it’s not what football is about. So the question is, Are the fights worth it or not?
