Tempers flared and school spirit escalated as Arizona State University fans awoke to a shocking display over the weekend: the iconic 'A' on Hayden Butte, affectionately known as 'A' Mountain, was bathed in the colors of their rivals. It had been painted a striking blue, a color deeply associated with the University of Arizona, igniting the long-standing rivalry between the schools just after a crushing 45-point basketball defeat of ASU by UofA, as reported by 12 News.
While some ASU supporters posited the blue hue more closely resembled UCLA or Cal's colors rather than the authentic Arizona blue, quipping on social media, "Thats way more like UCLA or Cal blue though, does not look UofA blue," a sentiment echoed by Morrie Ostroff in a tweet, the volunteer brigade quickly worked to restore the 'A' to its traditional gold, as celebrated by the 'ASU Moms' account on social media, as reported by 12News.
Gone were the rival tones by Sunday afternoon, cementing the dichotomy of pride and competition felt both sides, who will go head to head again on February 28 in Tempe. ASU students, such as Nathaniel Wright, express their territorial sentiment, looking out onto the mountain from their vantage with proprietary zeal, as he shared with AZfamily.com, his disbelief in the audacious color change, and then, alongside fellow students, leaped into the fray to paint it back, an act synonymous to repairing a defaced monument of their collegiate pride.
Discussions of retaliation took a lighter turn with suggestions thrown around to "tepee their frat row" with ASU-branded toilet paper or undertake a clandestine banner placement, a noteworthy reflection of the rivalry and camaraderie wrapped into one Iren Ilieva joked about during an AZfamily.com interview, their differences, they claim, will have to be settled on the sports field, where students like Wright anticipate high tensions and high spirits come game day.
