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Signs may be present at every football game, but the ones at The Game are especially elaborate and storied. Whether it be telling their Bulldog rivals “Yuck Fale” or “safety school,” Harvard students are always eager to craft and display witty posters.

Regardless if The Game is at Harvard Stadium or the Yale Bowl, the stands are flooded with colorful slogans poking fun at the opposition. From the pregame tailgate to the final down, these signs serve as the center of attention and subjects of many photos.

Collaboration and Creativity

Creating effective signs is a time-consuming activity that requires both teamwork and creativity. To come up with the most clever saying and presentation, many students work together to mass-produce signs to overwhelm Yale.

These posters are integral to Harvard-Yale — to such an extent that entire events revolve around their creation. The First-Year Social Committee holds an annual sign-making session in Annenberg Hall in preparation for The Game. This is no exception for the rest of the campus during the week leading up to Harvard-Yale as posters speak louder than words.

Memes and online satire often serve as witty inspiration. One common theme that Harvard uses is the assumption that Yale students were rejected from Harvard. On the flip side, Yale often teases Harvard for elitism, based on stereotypes of legacy and nepotism. Both schools pride themselves on maintaining more school spirit.

Signs Over the Years

Each year, both classics and freshly crafted signs are brought to ignite the rivalry at The Game.

A typical approach to one-upping Yale is assuming they were rejected from Harvard. This neck-and-neck Ivy League competition is seen each year, with Crimson fans continually ragging on opposing Bulldogs fans. Even if it is not always true, this jab usually succeeds at stirring Yale’s pot.

The aptly named “Yuck Fale,” another traditional insult, should be expected at The Game this year. However, in 2024, students approached the well-worn moniker with a more loose definition of a sign, using their bodies as the medium. Recognizable and a certified classic, it can’t be Harvard-Yale without “Yuck Fale.”

Unfortunately, it would be remiss to omit the ‘We Suck’ prank that Yale students executed against Harvard in 2004. The year prior, two Yale students attempted but failed with their trick despite having a home game advantage.

After detailed plotting for one year, the duo returned for The Game at Harvard motivated to succeed. This time, they returned with proper Crimson attire and even fake student IDs. After they slyly handed out thousands of placards that were supposed to read “Go Harvard,” gullible Harvard students watched the prank unfold and were featured on ESPN and national news.

Harvard students have yet to pull off a stunt of the same scale, but perhaps 2025 is the year.

Fueling the Rivalry

These artistic, often edgy signs help keep the Harvard-Yale feud alive year after year. The eternal one-upmanship enables dedicated fans to get involved and signs prompt school spirit and intellectual sparring beyond the classroom — a much-needed change of pace for Harvard and Yale students alike. Simply put, The Game would not be the same without fan posters.

Beating Yale goes beyond the football field. If Harvard wants to top its longtime rival, it starts with the fans and it starts with the signs.

—Staff writer Kaylyn H. Kim can be reached at kaylyn.kim@thecrimson.com.