Since they can’t even stick 80,000 in the “greatest venue in college athletics” for a top-20 Southeastern Conference matchup, I’m not expecting a large LSU fan contingent will travel to Oxford for Saturday’s Western division showdown.
But, for the fraction of the “greatest fanbase in America” who will brave the brutal elements of sunshine and asphalt to make the five-hour journey to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, expect an entirely different world.
Long known as one of the most upscale, ornate pregame environments in America, Oxford sports a more refined, classy scene than what LSU fans are accustomed to.
Translation: They don’t pride themselves on finishing a fifth of bourbon by 11 a.m. while acting like an ignorant buffoon to visitors.
It’s not because the Rebels think they’re better than the rest of the conference. And it’s not because they’re “a bunch of pansies,”
LSU fans.
No, it’s because of Robert Langley.
Langley was an Ole Miss police officer who was killed at the hands of an intoxicated student who was attempting to flee a traffic stop in October 2006, according to Ole Miss Assistant Dean of Students Scott Wallace.
Since the tragedy, the school took steps to ensure game days in Oxford were safe, controlled environments for alumni, families, students and visitors to enjoy.
Like any college campus, drinking is involved. But Wallace warned me on Wednesday night that the Ole Miss campus and its famed hotspot, The Grove, isn’t a place for inebriated shenanigans.
“[The Grove] is a place where people think it’s okay to get drunk,” Wallace said. “We don’t view it as that. It’s not a place where people get obliterated.”
Beginning in the fall of 2007, Langley’s death inspired Ole Miss to write letters to opposing fanbases in the week leading up to their visit to Oxford, just as Rebel Interfraternity Council President Gabe LaBonia did this week.
“We encourage our students and fans to conduct themselves as upstanding representatives of Ole Miss,” LaBonia penned. “As you visit our campus, we ask that you help us keep The Grove a family-friendly place that can be enjoyed by fans of all ages.”
As much as I hate to break it to you Gabe, you may be a bit out of luck.
Like they do wherever they go, I fully expect LSU fans to ignore the polite rules set before them and make a mockery of the purple and gold they’ll flaunt all weekend.
They won’t care about the police officer’s memory that Ole Miss tries to keep sacred. They’ll laugh at any authority figure who tries to quell the drinking games they’ll play and confiscate the shots they’ll throw back — both are illegal during game days, according to Wallace.
Wallace sidestepped my question as to whether LSU fans create more of a hassle than other visitors, only calling his Baton Rouge
visitors “flamboyant.”
“They bring a whole different life to campus,” Wallace said. “I don’t know whether that’s good
or bad.”
For once, I hope it’s a good thing.
Since LSU fans have been abysmal in home support this season, I hope their show on the road is more exemplary. I traveled to Athens a few weeks ago and the LSU fans I encountered were incredible. Sure, they had a little too much fun, but they kept it within reason and were gracious in defeat.
Keep that same demeanor this week – win or lose.
Recognize the surroundings, remember Robert Langley and remember the institution you claim
to represent.
Chandler Rome is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from Baton Rouge.