Everything you need to know before Homecoming at BC

The most anticipated event of fall is quickly approaching – and no, I don’t mean the arrival of Pumpkin Spice Lattes at the Upper Campus Starbucks. Homecoming, BC’s first football game in Alumni, is less than a week away.

Are the players ready? Sure, but that shouldn’t be your biggest concern. Whether our impressive mass of super fans will be equipped to welcome our slightly less impressive team home is an essential question for BC students every fall.

Eagles fans go hard. We may not be able to name more than two players or positions, and may struggle to spell Coach Addazio’s name correctly (How many z’s? Is that Italian? Let’s just call him Steve), but boy, can we make some noise.

It can all seem overwhelming, especially to young baby Eagles, but if you keep these tips in mind you’ll be an expert super fan by the end of the season. Here are the essentials of being in the stands at BC Homecoming – no need to fear…unless you’re the other team.

Target and infiltrate your desired tailgate

Tailgating is singlehandedly ending the “poor college student meal plan” epidemic. I’ll let you in on a secret – all that delicious food you see when you walk down the Million Dollar Stairs, displayed among maroon and gold napkins and coolers? It’s all free. No EagleBucks, no meal plan budgeting. Just hone in on a specific tailgate, cozy up to whichever enthusiastic alum or parent is working the grill and enjoy the feast.

Don’t be afraid of a bit (or a lot) of face paint

Look, this isn’t a fashion show. Looking generally cute and color coordinated is definitely desired, I can’t deny that, but the best fans are the ones who let go of all fashion standards and get crazy with the face paint. If you think you’re crafty for buying those temporary Eagle tattoos in the bookstore, think again. Make the trip to the nearest Party City and invest in some face paint and body glitter. It’ll be worth the Uber ride.

Don’t sit during the game – they’re called ‘stands’ for a reason

This one I unfortunately learned the hard way #sofreshman. Was I wrong for thinking the fans would all be collectively exhausted from Friday’s night out, and that we deserved a nice seated break? Apparently so.

Not only will you receive constant dirty looks from every direction, you will also sacrifice your view of literally everything happening on the field. So toughen up and pray that waiting in the endless lines in Eagle’s Nest has trained your legs well for the hours of standing to come.

Learn the words to ‘For Boston,’ or just get really good at lip synching

Much easier said than done. For a mere 20-line song, it’s surprisingly tricky to memorize on the first…or second…or tenth try. Pro tip: if you’re not willing to spend 90 seconds watching the YouTube lyric video (shout out to the BC alum who made that, a prime example of men and women for others), just pull up the lyrics on your phone mid-game and hope no one’s looking.

Interact with Baldwin as much as humanly possible

Whoever he/she really is behind the costume – that bird can move. Just watch Baldwin whenever the band plays whatever Top 20 hit they’ve chosen this season. I actually can’t think of any 2016 dance trend that Baldwin hasn’t mastered – Nae Nae, Dougie, you name it. Baldwin selfies are a hot commodity and very rare, so if you manage to get one on Homecoming, I commend you (and am extremely jealous of you).

Keep your shenanigans outside the stadium

No one wants to get banned from Alumni on the very first game – or ever, to be honest. You may think that with thousands of other fans, you can slip something by security, but BCPD always seems to be ten steps ahead. My professor said it best when explaining BCPD: they’re here to make sure the real cops don’t get to us first. So leave the tailgate at the tailgate, if only for a few hours.

Stay until the end, no matter how bitter

All other highlights aside, as fun as Homecoming is for us fans, you have to remember who we’re really there for – our beloved football team. They’ve put in work behind the scenes for months on end trying to make us proud, so stick it out for that last quarter. No matter how ugly the score (and believe me, it’s been pretty ugly lately), they deserve our support.

So get your GoldPass and your foam fingers ready – the Eagles are on the warpath.