Silence of the signs

"Fire John L. Smith, please."\nBig banner. Large letters. Couldn't miss it. The demands of a sizable chunk of the visiting Michigan State Spartan fans regarding their visiting coach could be made out from an airplane thousands of feet above Memorial Stadium during Saturday's homecoming victory.\nAfter a Michigan State fumble led to another Kellen Lewis touchdown pass in the final minute of the first half, the banner quickly unfurled, rattled in the wind for a few minutes and disappeared into the crowd. The scoreboard should have read: IU: 30, John L. Smith: toast.\nBut that's beside the point.\nKudos to the MSU fans for getting their message out -- even if it is one of frustration. It took planning, deception and execution to get your banner out there. This columnist salutes you.\nHomemade signs and banners have been a staple of sporting events since, well, at least since the beginning of the ESPN era. Through them, fans have expressed their affection and their anguish, their pride and their pangs. Plus, banners give you a shot at being on TV.\nAlas, here at IU, we discourage such creative words on cardboard. If the IU athletic department came up with its own ESPN acronym, it would read: "Every Sign Poisons the miNd." \nThe list of prohibited items at Memorial Stadium includes such nuisances as dogs, bottles and umbrellas (kites, too, as I found out the hard way). Last year, banners and signs became the newest no-no in stadium accessories. These policies have been implemented "in order to keep Hoosier football games enjoyable for all," according to the 2006 IU football fan guide. Isn't it possible to have a safe, fan-friendly environment with signs? After all, other colleges and professional franchises seem to be able to handle their presence.\nBanners and signs are one of the great things about college sports. You can tout your star quarterback for the Heisman, rip on your in-state rival or support (or call for the head of) your embattled coach. The limits of acronyms have been proven to stretch to infinity and beyond thanks to broadcast networks and clever sports fans. These messages spark discussion, demand reaction and contribute significantly to the game atmosphere. \nAt IU football and basketball games, you must be sneakier than a jewel thief to get your sign in the air for longer than a minute before some crusty usher confiscates your work of art. Corporate sponsors and University propaganda seem to be the only allowable displays. \nThe enforcement of this policy, which went into effect during basketball season last year, has been spotty at best. During Hoosier Hysteria, several signs supporting the announcement that top recruit Eric Gordon would sign with IU were visible. Signs were also on display at September home football games in support of IU coach Terry Hoeppner during his recovery from brain surgery.\nIt seems the content of the message matters as to whether stadium officials will turn a blind eye to the no sign policy. An era of fan censorship is at hand. \nNever was the sign ban more visible than at the beginning of last February's men's basketball game against the University of Connecticut. Floor-level ushers turned into the poster police, accumulating enough poster board from the student body for every science fair entrant in the Bloomington area. Many of the messages scrawled in marker made reference to Huskies point guard Marcus Williams, who had been suspended earlier in the season for stealing laptop computers.\nThe assumption is that IU officials did not want such messages on display. Not to be deterred, however, students began their own "Where's my laptop?" chant as the teams warmed up. It looks like weakening vocal chords should be the next step in neutering fan expression. For now, it is up to the cheerleaders to divide and scatter the mouths of the misguided. Whenever a perceived bad call leads to the "bullshit!" chant from the student section, you can be sure the cheerleaders will retaliate with a peppy cheer of their own.\nHomespun cheers and wacky costumes seem to be the last bastion of fan expression at IU. If you can't write what you want to say, then dress like it and shout it at the top of your lungs. Unfortunately, yelling "UConn sucks!" just doesn't carry the same weight as a poster bearing the words "UConn't beat IU!" in big red letters. \nThe power of the written pun has been taken from the Hoosier faithful.