22 Hilarious Game Day Signs

It’s somewhat of a tradition in sports for fans to bring a big sign to the game in the hopes that they’ll be immortalized by TV cameras. Of course, most of these signs are pretty bland — but some of them are seriously clever, even if they do sometimes cross the boundaries of good taste.

These fans have a take-no-prisoners approach to cheering for their favorite team (or booing their most hated team). While these signs were made by amateurs, they just might be funny enough to be considered professional.

THE Ohio State burn

Ohio State catches a lot of flak for its perceived sense of superiority (insisting that everyone call it THE Ohio State University certainly doesn’t help). That’s why rival fans always enjoy knocking the Buckeyes down a peg.

Does Ohio State — sorry, The Ohio State — really print their diplomas on toilet paper? It seems kind of doubtful, but these Notre Dame fans are suggesting otherwise.

Biebs slander

Syracuse basketball fans pack the biggest college basketball arena in the country throughout basketball season, and their sign game is almost always on point. In this instance, Justin Bieber is catching strays at the expense of Duke University.

Bieber is not a Duke fan in real life — his favorite team is the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs — but that doesn’t lessen the impact of this sign.

Shots fired in all directions

The Cincinnati Bengals have nearby rivals everywhere they look: Cleveland to the north, Baltimore and Pittsburgh to the east, the Chiefs to the west, and (arguably) the Saints to the south, if only because Cincy ripped off New Orleans’ “Who dat/who dey” taunt.

This Bengals fan wants to call out all available rivals in one sign, and she’s done so successfully. Who dey think they gonna beat dem Bengals?

They mixed it up at the end

It would seem like Wisconsinites would eventually grow tired of all of the cheese-related jokes and references thrown their way, but you’d better (cheddar?) believe that they never do.

This fan (dressed like Will Ferrell in Elf) points out that elves really like cheese products, as well as beer. Maybe this is just a thing for elves in Wisconsin.

The stakes are clear

The Kansas City Chiefs have been football royalty for the better part of a decade now thanks to the magic of Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid. But things haven’t always been so optimistic in Kansas City.

This fan is channeling her Chiefs fandom (and frustration) into a Halloween vibe by repeating a classic rhyme while insisting that her Chiefs finally give her a win.

That thousand-yard stare

Back before the Houston Texans found their franchise quarterback, things at the QB position were in a dire state in H-Town. This sign dates back from those dark times.

Like Cleveland Browns fans, Houston Texans fans became incredibly weary as they watched QB after QB try and fail to turn their team into a contender. It truly becomes old after awhile.

I like those odds

These Georgia Tech fans are firing an insult at their in-state rivals, the Georgia Bulldogs. When a more academically-minded school is overmatched against an athletic powerhouse, this is a common trope.

This sign is just a joke, of course — but given Georgia’s track record with developing elite football talent, this sign probably has a 100 percent chance of getting a scholarship if it can follow a football playbook.

Take that, Miami

The Miami Hurricanes have a great brand, and oftentimes, great teams to match. It stands to reason that fans of opposing schools have an axe to grind with the Canes, and this sign effectively cuts to the chase.

While a hurricane might be one of the most intimidating things in nature, a tropical depression is simply a hurricane that couldn’t quite reach hurricane status. It’s quite an indictment of the Canes’ basketball program.

Hey, at least it’s secure

These Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets fans have brought their sign game to a home game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Obviously that sign is intended as a burn, because just about everyone can agree that two-factor authentication can be a pain. But you know what’s not a joke? Data leaks. Even if Pitt does like 2FA, maybe it’s just because they’re aware of the importance of cybersecurity.

When the Orange go red and green

Devoid of context, this sign would be a little bit confusing — why, you might ask, do fans of Syracuse Orange basketball celebrate Christmas every day?

The answer lies in the fact that, at the time, power forward Rakeem Christmas starred in the Orange frontcourt. The world-weary expression on his face in this pic suggests that he might be getting a little bit tired of all the Christmas puns.

J.J. loves his sweets

J.J. Watt was one of the most ferocious defensive ends in football history, but is he also a sweetheart with a sweet tooth? That’s what this woman is betting on.

She brought a sign to the game to advertise her availability to Watt, pointing out that she’s sweet and can bake sweets as well. No word on whether J.J. ever got back to her.

Crosby catching strays

Sidney Crosby has been perhaps the most well-known hockey player in the world ever since making his NHL debut two decades ago. As such, he’s bound to attract attention wherever he goes.

These fans brought an array of hilarious, but safe for work, signs to troll Crosby during pregame warmups at a game at Madison Square Garden.

No bad blood here

The Travis Kelce/Taylor Swift romance was one of the biggest stories of the 2023 football season, not to mention gossip pages and tabloids everywhere.

While football fans might not have been drawn to T-Swift’s music, it did turn a lot of her devoted fans into football watchers. Of course, they weren’t particularly interested in what was going on on the field — it was really just about catching a glimpse of Taylor’s new squeeze.

Unring that Bell

In 2018, when Le’Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers held out due to a contract dispute, the Steelers turned to backup running back James Conner.

Conner did more than anyone ever could have imagined and filled in ably for Bell, leading fans to create this clever sign. Sometimes, the replacement is just as good or better than the original.

Meet Green Bay’s bikini girls

These women go to Green Bay Packers games, rain or shine, in freezing weather, wearing nothing more than bikinis. This is really saying something given Green Bay’s notoriously harsh climate.

This wish list starts out with a fairly humble request — that their beloved Packers make the playoffs — and then gets incredibly ambitious. Of course, given the Packers’ historic success, their fans have come to expect this.

Sounds like a great honeymoon

What does your dream honeymoon look like? Would you put a big foam wedge of cheese on your head, pay hundreds of dollars for a ticket, then sit on freezing cold bleachers at Lambeau Field in November?

No? Well, judging by this sign, some people would consider this a perfect honeymoon. It’s been awhile since this pic was taken, so it’s easy to wonder if this couple even stayed married.

Praise with a taunt

This is an intriguing sign being held up by a Philadelphia Eagles sign. It’s designed to taunt Tom Brady, implying that the Eagles’ defensive line will eat up the legendary quarterback for dinner.

At the same time, the sign isn’t really an example of Brady hate. It fully acknowledges that he’s the greatest of all time. It’s just saying that the Eagles will eat him up regardless. Do eagles even eat goats?

A little local humor

It’s a little hard to make out, but the image on the sign before “adelphia” shows a groundhog. It isn’t just any groundhog, though — it’s Punxsutawney Phil, the pride of Pennsylvania and probably the most famous groundhog in the world (he featured prominently with Bill Murray in Groundhog Day).

With this context, the sign essentially reads “Predicting a [Phil]-adelphia win.” It isn’t saying anything groundbreaking, but the local reference is good.

That’s a lot to cover

The boast on this sign about legendary cornerback/safety Charles Woodson is obviously hyperbole — but the base message is absolutely on point. Woodson had an incredible 18-year career in the NFL and covered a crazy amount of ground downfield for the Raiders and then the Packers.

This Raiders fan is giving props to Woodson with a clever sign. It’s like a secular version of the “Jesus saves but [player] intercepts” saying.

So you don’t believe in the Lions?

The Detroit Lions are a genuine championship contender in the current NFL — words that have probably not been spoken in at least 60 years. Yes, even though the Lions look dangerous nowadays, they need to overcome decades of futility.

This sign was clearly made during the dark days. Maybe this person is saying that they dare to believe in something that everyone else has given up on — or maybe they’re saying that the Lions’ playoff hopes are about as real as Saint Nick.

It’s true!

Returning to the hapless fans of Washington, this fan’s sign has a pointed message directed at the younger (or young-ish) fans of the team. While the team hasn’t been good in years, there was a time, believe it or not, when they were good.

This is a familiar refrain to any aging fan of a sad-sack franchise. When the whole world is clowning on your team, it feels almost impossible that they were ever good.

The other side of Deflategate

While NFL fans thoroughly enjoyed the scrutiny and criticism directed at the New England Patriots during the Deflategate scandal, that doesn’t mean that Pats fans were going to take the abuse sitting down.

This sign doesn’t really talk about the scandal at all. It points out that Tom Brady’s the greatest of all time (pretty much true), while NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is a joke (this could be debated). The messaging is clear and concise.