It’s January, 532 A.D. in ancient Constantinople, and the dirty, beaten streets are flowing with a mixture of red, green and blue. It had all begun with a typical round of chariot races– ‘green’ team versus ‘blue’ team. Although rivalry had already entered the Hippodrome, due to the different colors sported by those involved in any sport, this time was different. There was bloodshed now, not just from the athletes themselves, but from those sitting in the arena, watching. It was no longer just a sport, it determined who hated who and why.

“Are you green or are you blue?”

Your answer could determine whether you lived or not. Before the riot was over, half the ancient city was burned and thousands were dead.

Flash forward a few thousand years, to a high school playoff game in a college arena. It’s a basketball game, Marcus vs. Lewisville, one dressed in a deep maroon and white, the other in red and black, both rivals.

Murmurs of “they recruit” and “they cheat” escalate quickly to ranting and raving.

The game is over, and instead of a group of celebratory individuals walking amongst disappointed fans in a single direction, the stands are already half empty and those that have left go in opposite directions, screaming behind them as they leave the gym.

Some have left to gather in the parking lot, waiting for an enemy so they can pounce.

“Are you Marcus or are you Lewisville?’

It no longer was a simple question. The question wasn’t inquiring as to what school you attended, but rather which side you were on and if you were their enemy.

Multiple outbursts occur, resulting in different types of injuries–everything from scrapes, bumps and bruises to broken noses and busted lips.

Marcus vs. Lewisville unraveled into something much darker than a fun way to put two opposing teams together. It was more than a battle for an axe, it was a separation of different people.

Students, separated by no more than 5 miles with the biggest difference in the actual schools being location and age, were now being judged by what color their face was painted, or what color jersey they were wearing.

Everyone plays a game to win. There are scoreboards for a reason. Violence outside the court will not change what is written on the scoreboards themselves, but rather bring embarrassment and bad publicity to the schools involved. When a person or a team wins, people should celebrate, and when they don’t, they should take their loss as a learning experience; nobody gets everything they want and temper tantrums won’t solve anything. The more battles fought at these rivalry games, the less likely we are to have them.

Farmer Pride, or Marauder Pride ,doesn’t need to be shown through fighting; but rather shown through chanting along to the school song, being in the Rowdy Crowd, wearing the colors of your team.

Football, basketball, soccer or any other sport should induce a feeling of school spirit and passion–not hatred and violence. Marcus and Lewisville are meant to battle over an axe, but should leave the stands proud of their teams no matter what the outcome of the game is.