T
hey sat at the far left corner of the bleachers on a mild Friday night, covered in black paint. The crowd hummed with excitement as the Wolves and University Cougars raced across the football field under the bright lights. Cheerleaders hollered chants at the crowd. However, no sound conquered the roar of the spirited Purple People.
You may have heard about the Purple People on the morning announcements offering anybody coming to the varsity football games to cover themselves with paint for two dollars. On the night of Oct. 17, I became a “Purple Person” for the first time.
At approximately 6:30 PM, students emerged near the breezeway with two necessary paint cans. A large group congregated on the grass, anticipating the upcoming match.
Like a pack of wolves devouring their prey, the Purple People crowded the cans and dug in. Amateurs hesitated, waiting at a distance for the right moment to douse their hands in black paint– one of those amateurs happened to be me. As friends painted each other, laughing and reaching for more paint, I stood far away from the canisters. I slowly crept toward the cans, failing to identify purple paint. After five minutes of awkwardly standing still, I gained the courage to dip one hand in paint, proceeding to cover my limbs in unorganized smears.
It was finally game-time, and the Purple People ironically donned black. I walked with the pack to the stands and sat at the far top row of the bleachers. The Purple People, however, gathered at the bottom right section of seats.
When the match started, I observed the Purple People from my place of solitude, too embarrassed with my haphazardly painted arms and legs. The first touchdown by the Wolves erected deafening shouts and dancing from the group. Their support went unchallenged, as other fans simply cheered or clapped. The Purple People performed much rowdier acts. “There was dancing and shouting and cheering. It was a great way to express yourself while cheering for your team,” freshman and Purple People first-timer Haley Cieszynski said.
The school pride among the group was not limited to cheering and dancing. Plastic cups from local restaurant Gator’s Dockside and mini foam footballs were hurled at the black sea of students. The carefree, boisterous attitude of the Purple People was alluring enough to make me leave my bird’s nest above and return to the pack.
When the Wolves scored, we shouted. When the Wolves’ defense successfully protected their side of the field, we roared. When music would play, no matter how old the song, we got “jiggy with it.”
Was it the black paint? Did it somehow travel to our heads, and gave us the courage to root for their team?
We simply were proud to wear one of our school colors.
“It [paint] shows that we want them to do well and we are proud to wear our school color…it shows even if we do lose we still support them through it all,” sophomore Gabriel Isiah Galarza said.
As the Purple People watched the game with acquaintances, the feeling of unity was strong. We remained one even though the group was fragmented into sub-groups of Purple People and their friends. “They, like, let you feel like you are one of them when you do it the first time,” freshman Christine Ramirez said.
As a first-time Purple Person, the human tendency of fearing the unknown kicked in. But as the night progressed, I emerged from my shell. Covering themselves with paint, obnoxiously screaming, talking with friends– Purple People managed to deliver an experience that this fearful, reserved student will never forget.