Cutouts allowed at games

The student section in the Smith Center is a little fatter this year.

This basketball season, the UNC athletic department has been distributing cardboard cutouts, or fatheads, to the student section to improve the atmosphere in the arena.

In the past, though other schools such as Indiana University, The Ohio State University, Michigan State University and Duke University permitted these cutouts in their respective student sections, the Smith Center did not.

The cutouts were previously banned for being too distracting.

Now they are distributed before the game and collected after.

Although the cardboard cutouts are now making an appearance in the student section, Michael Beale, the assistant athletic director for marketing, said there has not been a change in UNC’s policy.

Students are only allowed to bring signs that are 8 ½ by 11 inches or smaller that are approved by a UNC athletic department official at the door, but students cannot bring their own fatheads.

“It is something that we are controlling from an athletic department standpoint,” Beale said.

The athletic department originally created the cardboard cutouts for Late Night with Roy and continued using them for home basketball games, Beale said.

“It started with Late Night, taking on that SportsCenter GameDay thing,” he said.

Leaders in Carolina Fever said the fatheads are an improvement to the student experience.

“I do think it’s a step in the right direction,” said Andrew Darvin, co-chairman of Carolina Fever.

“I know there are some traditionalists who might not like the idea, but if you look at other fan bases, they really encourage their students to be creative.”

Game Day Affairs Committee Chairman for Carolina Fever, Alex Collette, said while he approves of the fatheads, the regulation of premade cardboard cutouts decreases students’ ability to make their own witty signs.

“The way they’re doing it right now kinda stifles creativity with premade fatheads,” he said.

“It could be improved if we had a little more leeway and if they allowed us to make our own signs and bring our own fatheads into the risers.”

The athletic department will assess the fathead trial run at the end of the year, as it is looking for more ways to increase and enhance the fan experience in the Smith Center, Beale said.

“We certainly see what other schools do around the country,” he said.

“We’re always looking to do bigger and better things.”

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