There’s Always A Chance When There’s Hope
5 min read
Cal loses in a beatdown, 34-0 vs. SDSU. The logical reaction would be to fear the coming tide. But The Bear will not quit. The Bear will not die, as was coined by Joe Kapp, former Cal coach and the last player to lead the Golden Bears to a Rose Bowl in 1959. By Kapp’s logic, there is no reasonable scenario in which someone can give up on the Golden Bears. As I reflect on my disappointing, but eye-opening time in San Diego, I maintain that hope is the guide to the fandom of Cal Football.
The Golden Bears O-line meets on the sideline after SDSU takes a commanding lead at Snapdragon Stadium. Photo courtesy of Morgan Garcia.
Still, before hope could take center stage, the facts of the night told their own story. Cal was shut out 34–0 at Snapdragon Stadium, undone by two turnovers turned directly into Aztec touchdowns and a stagnant ground game that managed only 65 rushing yards on 31 attempts. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw for 208 yards but no scores, while SDSU’s defense capitalized on mistakes, including a 97-yard pick six. The numbers sting, but they only frame the bigger question: how do we, as students and fans, respond?
Being a student at Cal is more than the spectacle of academia and the labor-intensive nature of studying at the #1 public university in the world. The rigor is to be expected alongside burnout, forging a connection with others as they undergo an experience alongside you for four years — two if you’re a transfer, like me. This opportunity to study in Berkeley comes with the responsibility of loyalty and tradition. As I have seen the ebb and flow of Cal Football since 2006, I have seen the draw at Memorial Stadium dissipate in a downward slope since the early days of Jeff Tedford. Life may feel like a wall, imploding your body in every direction, crushing the desire to support a team that has disappointed. But then you’ve dissolved your loyalty. Although support for Cal Football has swayed in recent years, the tradition of the University of California, Berkeley has yet to perish. The cannons still fire. The Cal Band still plays Fight for California. And it is everyone’s duty to Tell the Whole Damn World that this is Bear Territory!
Recently, our ‘Big C’ was defaced by Stanford students, as was reported by Reddit user u/GaiusFabiusMaximus. As an annual tradition perpetrated by our long-time rival, the Stanford Cardinal, members of the Cal Band have responded by painting our “Big C” gold, restoring the familiar tradition of California. Late in November when the Bears step foot in Palo Alto, they will do so in the hope and confidence of retaining the “Stanford Axe,” an award which is given each year to commemorate the winner of “The Big Game,” which has showcased a clash between Cal and Stanford since 1892. It has been a responsibility of the U.C. Rally Committee to safeguard the Axe as Cal has remained victorious in “The Big Game” the past four years.
Another great tradition at Berkeley is a fan-favorite chant when the Golden Bears come out victorious, exclaiming with pride:
You know it
What!
You tell the story
What!
YOU tell the whole damn world this is BEAR TERRITORY
This victory chant was created by Ahmad Anderson, a Cal alumni with roots in the community, co-host of the Tell the Whole Damn World podcast, and a defensive captain on the 1982 Cal team that saw “The Play” against Stanford, which was described by Joe Starkey as “the most amazing, sensational, traumatic, heart rending, exciting, thrilling finish in the history of college football!” On that play which saw five laterals triumph over an insurmountable mountain in the remaining seconds, Cal’s Kevin Mohen ended with a distinct endzone celebration, ramming into Gary Tyrrell, a member of the Stanford Band.
Marching bands, a storied tradition in college football, have been a staple at Cal since 1891. When speaking with Stanley, a Cal Band alumni-leader who graduated in 2023, I learned about the emotions that can accompany the loyalty and traditions of California. Stanley revealed this feeling as he described his experience during gamedays, saying “I’ve teared up because of the Cal Band before.”
While Stanley has shed tears at the strike of a note, marching victory into Memorial Stadium, I have felt a river of tears in my years at Berkeley. I’ve cried of joy as the Bears upset opponents who they had no business beating, and I’ve cried in anguish from the disappointment of games like last Saturday, vs. the SDSU Aztecs. Now I cry for those who care about this university — not fans, but brethren of Berkeley — to band together in hope for the current and future success of those who choose to study and compete at U.C. Berkeley.
Speaking with Bryan, a double-major alumnus in zoology and anthropology at Berkeley in 1991, I asked what the most exciting storyline was about Cal Football this year. His response was one of hope as he declared “Ron Rivera and Chancellor Lyons” had the largest impact.
Following my insightful dialogue with Bryan, I stumbled upon the opportunity to interview Chancellor Rich Lyons as my partner and I roamed Sproul Plaza in search of game-day perspectives. When posing the question, “What’s the most exciting thing about the Cal Football season for you, this year?” Lyons responded with unwavering hope, telling me, “Ron Rivera being a part of the team…coach of the year in the NFL” has changed the direction of the program as “we’ve got a lot of things that are going in our direction this time.”
Aside from mind-boggling throws from the freshman Hawaiian lefty, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Cal fans had a lot to be excited about before the Bears’ collapse against the Aztecs. As Lyons put it, I would venture to say that Rivera has been a rejuvenating source of energy within Cal circles. Hired by Lyons himself to refurbish a program in decline, Rivera has connected with the greater Cal community in efforts of fundraising, marketing, and outreach, reeling in fans and alumni to create a clearer path to successful athletics in Berkeley.
Riding the highs of a 3-0 season, the results of Saturday’s matchup vs. SDSU was a turbulent reality check for Cal fans. Some who were expecting this sort of performance from the Bears, however, were ready to abandon ship as soon as the lights went out in San Diego. On the Tuesday following the loss, Rivera went live on KNBR to express his thoughts on a contingent of Cal supporters who have this ‘typi-cal’ mentality that strays away from resilient loyalty. Rivera speaks with a striking passion when he says “You’ve got to continue to believe and if you don’t believe, get out of it,” expecting the same of his players as he does his fans: hope.
Rivera then recounted his experience as a head coach for the Carolina Panthers as he worked relentlessly to “get those players to get past that losing mentality.” As he earned the nickname Riverboat Ron for his gutsy calls when they mattered, Rivera believes that “once you change your mindset, you give yourself a chance to win.”
https://x.com/ghostofgarbers/status/1970686838827557103?s=46
I agree with Rivera. This mindset needs to change in the stands of Memorial Stadium as numbers dwindle in the stagnation of a program in distress. It needs to change in the locker room when the players define their culture. It needs to change in coaches’ meetings as the seat gets ever-so-hot. Regardless of the performance on the field, the faith and hope that Cal can succeed is a string that tethers us all together — players, coaches, students, alumni, fans, and future Bears.
This hope, however, is nothing without the loyalty and tradition of U.C Berkeley. Just as the Cal Band restored the Big C and Joe Kapp spoke on the ‘never quit’ mentality at Cal, this loyalty remains through the static of a once-thriving football program. In my eighteen years of watching Cal Football, I’ve seen the Bears break above .500 just eight times. Regardless, I choose Cal.
I don’t care that it’s illogical; I just hope.