Daily Skiff

The fifth annual "Frogs for the Cure" football game will be held Saturday, Nov. 14. As our beloved Frogs continue their winning streak, it is impossible not to be excited for the game against our biggest remaining competitor, Utah. The Utes, who are No. 14 in the Bowl Championship Series rankings, are hoping for a win that will ruin our perfect season. As members of the TCU community, we should do all that we can to show our Frogs that we support them and are excited to see revenge against the Utes.

Earlier this week, there was a Facebook event that promoted school spirit through a "black out" against Utah. This strategy has been used by many football teams across the nation, and it happens to be custom for Utah to "black out" one game per season. Last year, they used this tactic against us, which lessens the appeal of participating in a technique that they consider a tradition. The aspiring event at TCU was cancelled after many organizations and students opposed the idea of "blacking" out the night of the "pink out."

Ann Louden, chair of the Frogs for the Cure committee and the chancellor's associate for external relations, said that the purple shirts for sale in the TCU bookstore were made to combine school pride with breast cancer awareness. TCU is associated with purple and this year's shirts were specifically made to be primarily that with a pink ribbon on the back, which listed the scores of the previous four Frogs for the Cure games - all of which were victories.

The Facebook event, which is no longer active, revealed opinions of many TCU students. It seems as though many believed that the game merely raises money for breast cancer research. In reality, the game was not created just to raise money for the Tarrant County affiliate of Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. It is a way for students to unite with other Fort Worth communities. For this one night, we should look uniform. No matter the outcome of the game, the Frogs for the Cure shirt was meant to show that TCU can and will join with others. We will make a statement, by wearing our shirts, that we all support the Frogs as well as those who have been affected in some way by breast cancer.

I know breast cancer is only one disease, and many ask why we still raise money for a well-known organization. Breast cancer is an ongoing fight that needs our support. Our own TCU and Fort Worth breast cancer survivors need our support. Remember your purple TCU roots, remember our traditions and even if it makes you unhappy, wear the shirt. We wear purple because we are proud of our Frogs, but the decoration of pink on each shirt is a reminder of a struggle, whether we see it or not, that affects each person around us.

It is understandable that students are excited about our winning streak, but it seems silly to divide our community on the night that was meant to support and unite us. The "Frogs for the Cure" game was specifically placed on the night of Nov. 14 to bring the support of alums, friends, students and fans of TCU to Amon Carter Stadium to assure the football team that they would not be facing tough competition alone.

We owe this night to the many breast cancer survivors who have looked forward to this day all year. Keep the tradition alive and keep making baby steps toward a cure.

Allison Branca is a sophomore strategic communications major from Houston.

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