Bitter Rivals?

So tonight is the big night. It’s always a big night when that other team from up north – that other purple team which shall remain un-named - comes to campus.

I was in the midst of gleefully sharing memes from @BlufftonUmbk and brainstorming Facebook posts and tweets to stoke the school spirit flame of the Bluffton faithful in preparation for the “big game” when I opened a story posted by the Defiance Crescent News.

Whoa. Let’s take a break here. Rivals, yes. Backyard rivals, yes. But “Bitter northwest Ohio rivals?” Has it really come to that?

Sure our football guys proudly sport t-shirts simply stating “Beat DC” in huge block letters. Noticed this year that the Defiance student body has nice shirts with a bee (yes, it’s probably really a yellow jacket) over the words “Beat Bluffton.” OK, that’s only fair.

I know that stuff has happened over the years to create hard feelings between Bluffton and Defiance. I’m sure with any rivalry, ‘stuff’ happens to start the rivalry. Maybe it starts with good-natured ribbing which goes too far, then gets retaliated and the next thing you know the paper is calling it a “bitter” feud – like the Hatfields and the McCoys.

Tonight as you dress in your finest Bluffton purple (not that cheesy Defiance purple), don your face paint, prepare the big heads. Keep it classy Beavers. Let’s enjoy the rivalry. Let’s cheer our teams. But let’s not give next year’s writers a reason to call this a “bitter” rivalry.

Go Beavers!