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Finally, I think the reason why most people look down upon non alumni as fans is that they often associate them with the dregs of society that make Louisiana look bad while wearing an LSU hat from Walmart.

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That's everywhere, not a Louisiana phenomenon. Living in Florida, I can pick out the walmart gaytors from the alumni gaytors from a mile away.

Yes, but i separate the education from the athletics

I was accepted at LSU, but chose to go to a school that offered a better deal. The Demons don't really compete with LSU on any level, so I am fortunate enough to be able to pull for 2 teams! (one of them actually made the tourney this year, too!)

Territorial pissing contests are for losers anyway.

No. I went to LSU one semester. Graduated at SE La. Been an LSU football fan since I could walk. Live in Phoenix now, and a friend of mine who lives here from Oregon graduated from ASU and he is a die hard Ducks fan. So no it doesn't matter. I think it's more about where you are from.

I support athletics as a means of support of the greater University as a whole. While it's only one facet of my support, it's probably the most emphasized due to its ability to unite former classmates and friends...and due to the media and national attention.

What really bothers me is when 'fans' donate to athletic foundations but don't give back to the University (donations, volunteering). I realize some may justify this by saying better athletics means more support for academics, but it all boils down to prioritization and what college athletics is all about. It's about the student athlete. Not athlete who also happens to be a student. It's the same reason why I am against 'professionalizing' college athletics. There's already an arena for that side of competition.

ETA: So to answer your question, no, you don't have to be an alumnus to be a legit fan. Some of the best collegiate athletic fans I know are not alumns. But there is nothing worse than a bandwagon, sidewalk fan.

I didn't go to LSU, but I have been going to the football games since I could walk. And I was a huge fan before I was even thinking about college.

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Ok, let me propose this, can an individual be a fan of LSU football, ucla basketball and Yale hockey all without having gone to any of these school? See this makes more sense to me when the attachment is to one particular sport. I don't get why people support the SCHOOL they did not attend.

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I grew up in St. Amant. Watched just about every LSU sport there was growing up. LSU was my dream school, where I've always wanted to go. When I graduated high school I joined the Air Force and I moved to Washington State. Now having grown up near LSU my whole life, it was all I knew. Now I see UW and Wazzu stuff everywhere. I see Seahawk garb everywhere. I didn't get the chance to go to LSU, or I chose a different route for myself, but my ties are there and basically where my heart lies. I technically never attended the school, but the school has always been a part of me. It became my link home, along with the Saints. It became my way of feeling home again when I watched them on TV. LSU became the single greatest bond or tie I had to Louisiana because it was a way to show everyone that that was where my roots are, where I'll always call home. It became more than a university to me. To people like you, LSU is a school and an institution. For people like me tho, it's way more than that.

It's hard to explain, but LSU is basically my identity outside of the state. In my eyes it represents everything all at one... Family, friends and my roots. But I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand that.

I grew up in Louisiana but my degree is from MIT. Does that mean I can't support LSU?

Your last point is spot on....although, I admit I've run my mouth about FLA to some of my friends on MSU's campus .