So, if you don’t already, the majority of the TastyBooze staff is from the Pacific Northwest. We’re loyal to our hometown teams and some of us actually went to school around here. I did not. But yet, I feel the need to express my disappointment about hearing that the college football rivalry game between the Washington Huskies and Washington State Cougars, The Apple Cup, will move to Qwest Field (home of the Seahawks) in 2010. The agreement is tentatively for six-years.
Fuck that. Half the excitement of college football is being on a college campus. Rivalry games are supposed to be played in your rivals or your own backyard. You’re supposed to have an advantage when you play at home, in the freezing cold or snow if you’re the Cougars, and you’re supposed to feel intimidated with a raucous crowd of more than 70,000. 
Professional stadiums aren’t built for that…not for rowdy student sections, for the bands or cheerleaders, and you don’t get to sit next to the die-hards who you have sat next to all season, for the past 10 years.
Don’t make college football all about money. You’re raping the history and excitement of the Apple Cup. Sure you’ll probably be able to fill Qwest field half-and-half with purple and gold, and crimson and gray, but that’s not the point. The tradition of the Apple Cup will be spoiled and rotten for six years, maybe this will make you enough money to get through the recession, but I don’t have to like it.
Original story: Tacoma News Tribune
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a desperation move by the bullshit Husky alumni to try to secure what is essentially a home game for their shitty team for the next 6 years after losing 4 out of the 5 last Apple Cups.
What they fail to realize is that the fair weather Husky fans won’t show up in bad weather to see a team with a losing record even if they can walk to the stadium.
I will put money down right now that Cougar attendance will beat Husky attendance at every one of these games.
And for the record I’m calling shenanigans on this whole fucked up idea right now.
Mitch,
Will you can shenanigans on more than quadrupling Cougar revenue for this game?
Don’t think for a second that the Wazzu AD isn’t jumping for joy right now… I’m pretty sure this deal was pushed just as much from the Palouse as it was from Montlake, if not more so.