At Saturday night’s thrilling five-set victory by the Stanford women’s volleyball team over Cal at Maples Pavilion, several Cal fans sank to a new low — before the first ball was even served. In what appears to be a new Cal tradition, the Cal student fans in attendance disrupted the solo performance of the national anthem no fewer than three times. First, they disrupted the line “O say, can you see” by shouting in unison “UC!” an apparent reference to UC-Berkeley. Then, they disrupted “And rockets’ red glare” by shouting “blue” over the word “red,” contrasting the school colors of Stanford and Berkeley. Finally, they interrupted the line “and the home of the brave” by yelling “Bears!” over the word “brave,” an apparent reference to Cal’s perennially annoying mascot.

Being a graduate of both Stanford (B.S. 1997) and Cal (J.D. 2003), I’d like to think that I come to the Stanford vs. Cal debate with more impartiality than the average rabid Stanford or Cal fan. In fact, at the risk of being labeled a heretic by the readers of The Daily, I often cheer for Cal athletic teams (when they are not facing Stanford, of course). With all that said, I was appalled, disgusted and shocked by the concerted efforts of Cal students to disrupt the singing of our (both Stanford and Cal’s) national anthem. It showed an utter lack of class. But, while I feel justified in being appalled and disgusted, I should not have been shocked: Having no class is the modus operendi for the vast majority of Cal fans (but, to be fair, not all Cal fans).

Because I grew up around (and thus became accustomed to) the vitriol of Cal fans, I did not realize how classless they truly were until I saw Stanford’s women’s volleyball team play at the University of Texas last December. The small Stanford fan contingent was a tiny patch of Cardinal red in a sea of UT burnt orange. The UT fans cheered on their team relentlessly and tried to disrupt the Stanford squad every chance they got. But they did all this with the utmost of class, with fidelity to the true spirit of competitive collegiate athletics. After Stanford won the amazing four set match, various UT fans congratulated our team on a great performance. Contrast this southern hospitality with the typical behavior of Cal fans. I’m sure that I am not the only Stanford fan who has a story about being treated poorly by Cal students while visiting the Cal campus for our Big Game.

As Big Game Week begins, I have messages for both Cal and Stanford fans.

Cal Fans: Please get over your Stanford inferiority complex! Cal has a great academic and athletic history. Be proud of that. Quit trying to define yourselves in terms of your opposition to Stanford (as you do when you replace “red” with “blue” in the national anthem!). You are Cal, not Anti-Stanford. And please do not disrespect our national anthem!

Stanford Fans: Please conduct yourself with class and dignity! Do not stoop to the level of Saturday night’s Cal fans. Be a gracious Big Game host and show Cal fans some Stanford Hospitality when they visit Stanford Stadium this year for the Big Game.

Howard Loo ‘97 received a bachelor’s degree in computer science.