Last night, someone posted a poll on here asking Bronco Nation the reasons they were Boise State fans.  After a night of contemplation, here is my official response (outside of the comments).

What is a Boise State fan?   A Boise State fan is someone who appreciates a team that plays the game the way it was meant to be played - as a team, regardless of whether they win or lose.  A Boise State fan is someone who - for reasons that differ widely from person to person - doesn't identify with a local team.  A Boise State fan is someone who, because they went to the wrong school, is constantly overlooked for jobs or in life.  A Boise State fan is someone who is always the underdog, yet always finds a way to come through.  A Boise State fan is someone who has to scrap and claw and fight for everything they have, because nothing comes to them easy.  A Boise State fan can be some of these, or even all of these. They could even be none of these.

People criticize Boise State for lack of tradition...and yet, for people like me and others who fit some or all of the descriptors I listed above, Boise State is the ideal team to be a fan of.  Their supposed "lack of identity" IS an identity, and it has given a large number of people from diverse backgrounds and schools something that they feel they can cheer for.  Boise State's supposed "lack of tradition" IS a tradition in and of itself, because everyone is allowed to have their own reasons for being a fan. No one is called a "bandwagon fan" or a "fake fan" by the longtime Bronco faithful (the people who pulled for the team when it was still in FCS or JC status) for silly reasons like not going to the school or not living or growing up in the local area - as they would be at other schools (Michigan, Texas, Ohio State, and many others).

Boise State is the team that has developed their own unique identity and tradition out of the fact that they HAD no long-standing identity and tradition (outside of winning).  All they had was a willingness to challenge the old guard, the status quo. They are the team who dared to be different, who dared to be unique.

That is why I - and so many others - are Boise State fans.

Leave your thoughts below.