Baker Mayfield advocates for flag planting in college football rivalries

In the United States, college football rivalries often heat up during the final weeks of the season, leading to intense matches filled with passion and aggression. During a recent Rivalry Week, a series of games resulted in fights as winning teams attempted to plant their flags on opponents' home turf. Notably, after Michigan defeated No. 2 Ohio State, police were forced to intervene with pepper spray to quell the altercations at midfield in Columbus. Other incidents included Florida students trying to establish their Gator flag on the Florida State logo and an Arizona State player planting a trident on Arizona's logo. These altercations have sparked debate among fans; some are calling for the NCAA to ban the flag-planting tradition. However, Baker Mayfield, Heisman Trophy winner and former All-American quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners, has publicly defended the practice. Mayfield, known for his own history of flag planting during college games, argued that rivalries are an essential part of college football. He remarked that college football is meant to have rivalries and indicated that such activities are part of the experience. By referencing the longstanding custom seen in the Oklahoma vs. Texas rivalry, he dismissed calls for banning flag planting as unnecessary. Mayfield emphasized that fans should simply accept defeat and move on, reinforcing the idea that passion and rivalry are integral to the sport.