Hidden meaning behind that 'let's play football' chant

Rivalry games are great, aren’t they?

Those are the sort of games that the win-loss record is thrown out the window and everyone comes to the court with their A-game. With that in mind, the volleyball matchup between Green River and Rock Springs last month did not disappoint.

Rock Springs showed up to Green River High School in force, with a loud student section supporting the Lady Tigers.That’s not to say Green River’s students didn’t do their part.

The Lady Wolves’ cheering section was equal to the Lady Tigers’.

With both teams putting forth 110 percent on the court and the two student sections cheering them on, there was a lot of energy at the high school’s gymnasium that night. It’s the kind of energy that makes attending home games much better than following along at home. Yet, near the end, the Rock Springs section started cheering something to the Green River group that may have had some unintended meaning to the Lady Tigers.

“Let’s play football,” they chanted near the end of the game, when the varsity team’s defeat at the hands of the Lady Wolves seemed evident.

A football game, of course, is something that won’t happen between the two schools unless they’re aligned within the same division.

Green River is a 4A school, except for football where it is a 3A school. Despite the fun of those Trona Bowl games, the Wolves and Tigers probably won’t be meeting on the football field for a long time.

That chant from Rock Springs says a lot more than simply “we can beat you in football.” One thing it definitely communicates is an idea that the Lady Tigers varsity volleyball team isn’t good, something that isn’t true. Two of the three sets between the teams were very close, ending with the Lady Tigers within a couple of points of the Lady Wolves. The second set, with its 25-14 result in favor of the Lady Wolves, wasn’t that close.

Even so, the Lady Tigers did an admirable job keeping up with the Green River squad. Shouting “let’s play football” is akin to kicking sand in someone’s face. It signals to the players themselves that they’re done and should give it up. In that third set, the score was close enough for the Lady Tigers to rally and win the set.

Student athletes are the most important part of high school sports, not the win-loss record or the sport being played. Chanting “let’s play football ” as a harmless rib at the opposing school, says a lot more unintentionally than a person would think it does.