F*** Iowa.

This is the message thousands of Iowa State fans will be sending Saturday, succinctly saying just how they feel about the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Not only does that message reflect horrendously on Iowa State as an institution, it completely misses the point of athletic competition.

To preempt any arguments along the lines of “they did it first” or “but they’re doing it, too,” it does not matter what “they” do. As the old adage goes, two wrongs don’t make a right. Even if some Iowa fans are disrespectful toward Iowa State, that doesn’t mean any of us here in Ames need to stoop to the level of that subgroup of Hawkeyes.

Now back to how the statements and shirts of fans reflect their institution. When I worked for the university, our uniform included a polo with the words “Iowa State University” on it. It was drilled into our heads that whenever we were wearing anything with Iowa State on it, people who didn’t live and work here would view us as representatives of the university.

This is a fair view to have. After all, when you wear an ISU shirt, or are cheering at an ISU game, you are advertising to everyone that you want to be associated with the Cyclones.

That association is a two-way street. If you want the “benefit” of being a Cyclone, you have to understand that any action you take is the action of a Cyclone. If enough fans act a certain way, widely held and persistent beliefs can pop up regarding certain universities.

Even if only one fan is seen doing something conspicuously, it can create extremely strong personal feelings toward institutions.

For example, my freshman year at Iowa State was the last year we played the Nebraska Cornhuskers. While in the stands, I saw an ISU fan take the hat of a Nebraska fan and pass it down a row of fellow students. This behavior was pretty rude, but in response, the Nebraska fan started moving his way down the line of students, punching each one in the face until he was gang-tackled and eventually kicked out of the stadium.

The actions of that one fan have stuck in my mind for years, and to this day affect the way I view anyone wearing Nebraska gear.

Beyond the ways in which fan behavior affects public perception, poor sportsmanship on behalf of fans shows a complete misunderstanding of why we have athletic games in the first place.

However much sports like football seem to be violent contests, they are not simple gladiatorial matches. These competitions are about representing the institutions the players come from.

In ancient Greece, birthplace of the Olympic Games, even warring city-states would declare partial truces so that athletes could travel in peace. The games themselves were places of culture and art as well as the more widely celebrated physical events.

Today’s Olympic Games, the international symbol of competition, have likewise created a program called Olympic Spirit, whose mission is to “build a peaceful and better world in the Olympic Spirit which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.”

The NCAA, which regulates college athletics, follows in the tradition of the Olympics with its core values, which include “the highest levels of integrity and sportsmanship” and the supporting role athletics have in “enhancing the sense of community and strengthening the identity” of universities.

It is only through a twisted perversion of these values do we get the senseless and disrespectful actions of some college sports fans toward rival universities.

Of course, none of this is to say we cannot still enjoy our rivalries. There is certainly a place for fun and lighthearted bickering and even a wager or two. Here at Iowa State, that can manifest as support for the Cyclones without leading to disrespect for our Hawkeye brethren.

The annual Army ROTC Game Ball Run is an excellent example of that support. Every year the ISU and U of I Army ROTC programs participate in a relay run that brings a ceremonial game ball from the visiting team’s campus to the site of that year’s Cy-Hawk showdown.

Everyone here at Iowa State can make the choice to keep this year’s Cy-Hawk rivalry about good-natured competition, not hate. We might be part of the Hawkeye State or the Cyclone Nation after all, but when it comes to college athletics, we are all Iowans.