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UPDATE: The players want a white out after all. Prior post follows:
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The idea of a UVA "white out" against Pittsburgh Saturday was first pitched by DE Eli Harold this weekend and mentioned by Mike London as well.
However, per Associate Athletics Director Jon Oliver there will be no official White Out against Pitt. Just show up, and wear orange. Or blue. Or a tie, if that's what floats your boat.
There seems to be confusion about a white out. Please wear whatever makes you comfortable. We just want you there nice and loud. #GoHoos
— Jon Oliver (@jonkoliver) September 29, 2014
Obviously, when perhaps your best player is begging for a white out...it would probably be nice to just go ahead and do it. So...that's kind of a bummer.
Since Jon Oliver is the one breaking the news, part of the issue may be the short turnaround time in preparing for this type of promotion 5 days in the future. White outs tend to require the purchase of thousands of t-shirts (insert attendance joke here) to reach full effect, or at least ample time for publicity.
In addition, the last attempt to "white out" Scott Stadium was less than successful. First of all, FSU trounced Virginia 34-14. But to add insult to injury, home teams are only allowed to wear their white uniforms with the visiting team's permission, and the Seminoles declined. The result was 47,000 UVA fans wearing the colors of the opposing team, which wasn't the best look.
Regardless of what color fans are wearing, the real issue is attendence. Last week, 33k watched UVA's win over Kent State. That was an out-of-conference game against a cupcake. Still, players, particularly the aforementioned Harold, took notice.
@Eli_UVA7 Eli Harold spoke at length Saturday about how the players notice a half-empty stadium. He said he hopes fans show for Pitt.
— Jerry Ratcliffe (@JerryRatcliffe) September 28, 2014
This weekend's matchup is a night ACC game, and a big one to boot. The reasons for Virginia football's attendance issues are well-chronicled, but here's to a bigger turnout this weekend, particularly from the students.