Congratulations to ASU’s 46-7 win against Washington State on Saturday, but keep it down, will ya?
Fireworks at Sun Devil Stadium lit up every football game, not only to alert football fans but nearby residents, when ASU scores points. Be it via touchdowns, point-after-kicks, 2-point conversions or field goals, fireworks lit in the daytime do little to incite school spirit. Rather than focus time and money on more tangible ways to fill those empty seats, ASU Athletics only annoy Tempe residents who were trying to carry on with their Saturday activities.
The sound of the fireworks was jolting, like cars back firing — less of a snap and more of a boom. They startled beloved pets that barked, yelped and wailed at the sky in a futile effort to squelch the offensive noises.
It would appear that the fireworks are a wasted attempt to include a city in an experience it could care less about. As evidenced by the empty seats and the low turn-out rate — even at home games — residents didn’t care about the game enough to buy tickets. The money spent in lighting fireworks in the day time could have been used to rouse enthusiasm for the fans already present at Sun Devil stadium. Or, it could have been used to encourage more students to attend home games. The most the fireworks can do for student fans who aren’t already at the stadium is they might encourage some students to check Twitter or Facebook to see how ASU scored.
The fireworks don’t actually increase school spirit, sell more tickets or encourage more viewers to watch ASU’s games.
Instead of rousing Tempe with our school’s marching band’s stand tunes, ASU’s football team was represented by a barrage of booms — irritating and obtrusive. To make matters worse, the fireworks were lit during the day. Football fans couldn’t even see them, unless you count the plumes of smoke hanging loosely in the atmosphere.
Why not save the lights for special occasions: big games against rivals, long anticipated wins or much-deserved comebacks? The fireworks shot in the middle of the day could have been saved for a grander firework show at night to glorify an ASU win, turning things into a more traditional, communal event in which families and fans could watch.
By hastily lighting fireworks for every point scored, ASU football becomes less special and more annoying.
