Are Yor(k) mum jokes overused? We rated students’ Roses banners

Not only is Roses Europe’s biggest varsity event, but it’s a great reason to express our creativity in slating York through various banners and signs. Why do Lancs students insist on hating York? There’s literally no other reason than the three days of sports we play against them each year. We put every brain cell we have into creating the perfect signs for Roses, rather than using them for our actual degrees. So, we’ve compiled your Roses signs to judge whether your creativity would win a “slagging off York” event at Roses 2024.

‘Great shot’

This is very sweet and supportive, which we love to see. After all, Roses isn’t just about trying to beat York — supporting our players should be our first and foremost priority. I love the representation of the pool table and balls in the letters, and the rose is excellently drawn. A brilliant attempt, but lacks the wordplay that makes a successful Roses sign.

Rating: 6/10

‘Yor(k) mum begged for it’

This is funny and definitely made me giggle. I’m a sucker for a ‘your mum’ joke, and I appreciate the use of red to support Lancaster. Yet we shouldn’t shame anyone’s mother for begging for it — some people are into that. This really is a funny one and shows the true spirit of Roses signs at their best, but it just didn’t hit the spot for me.

6.5/10

Lancaster queers have no fears

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While this may be a lie, I appreciate the effort that went into fooling York into believing us Lancaster queers fear nothing. We fear a range of things: spiders, failing uni, and social interaction, among many others. While most of us suffer from crippling anxiety, it was fair to say we had no fears about whether we’d win Roses this year, because after all, roses are red. This is more original and creative, and although it doesn’t get points for roasting York, you can see the spirit that went into it and that’s all that matters.

Rating: 7/10

‘Yorksh**e’

This encapsulates the perfect Roses spirit: slating York in the best way. However, this loses points for lack of originality because of the amount of “Yorkshite” signs I saw at Roses 2022. While the attempt was made, the execution could have been a lot better.

Rating: 8/10

‘Lancs slaying away’

Now this is a perfect example of a Roses pun. While it doesn’t have the roasting York factor, it is indeed factually correct, as Lancs slays away every day. This simply gets higher points because it gives you a lot to think about. Not only does Lancs slay away, but we also played away (and slayed simultaneously), and therefore the cleverness of it just earns it far more points.

Rating: 10/10

‘York, not even your mum sucks this much’

As uni students, we love a good “your mum” joke, and this encapsulates the true Roses spirit perfectly. There’s not much to talk about in terms of the aesthetic of the sign, but it truly slates York in the best way. While I may not be a fan of slut-shaming mothers, this one is forgiven because it is just so funny and the perfect example of a Roses sign.

Rating: 11/10

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