Probably Photoshopped Washington State Flag Flies at Vatican City

An almost assuredly Photoshopped image of the Washington State flag surfaced on Twitter, via @danshirley, showing the crimson banner amid the crowd outside Vatican City on Wednesday. Throngs gathered to celebrate the announcement of a new pope. The Catholic Church is massive; it’s possible a Washington State zealot could have been in the crowd, right?

Alright, it’s a fake. But it’s a fun tip of the cap to college football fans.

The official Washington State athletics Twitter has yet to debunk the image, as Johnny Manziel did yesterday with a Busted Coverage shot of the Texas A&M Aggies quarterback sporting Texas Longhorns ink. That tattoo was fake — Manziel’s yo mama joke to an Alabama-meets-Bane parody account and assorted other retorts were very real.

But I digress.

On the original topic of the Washington State flag turning Vatican City into an extension of College Gameday, the omnipresent banner is one of the more unusual traditions currently in the sport.

Each Saturday morning broadcast of the ESPN flagship show, the Cougar logo can be seen in the background. The flag is mailed around the country to ensure its place, front-and-center, behind Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and Desmond Howard.

The tradition has lasted a decade, and is one the Washington State Cougars community fully embraces. “Wave The Flag” is now a mantra of Cougar athletics and fans alike.

It’s only fitting the university hired Mike Leach to lead its football program. The pirate expert Leach inspired a new take on the flag, as seen in the below clip:

So while the Washington State flag may not have flown at Vatican City, why can’t it make the rounds at other public gathers?

I am officially opening a challenge to SaturdayBlitz.com readers. Get a photo (not a Photoshop) of yourself or a friend flying a Washington State flag — it can be a rudimentary facsimile — somewhere notable: a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field. Comic-Con. Tweet them @saturdayblitz or email saturdayblitz@yahoo.com, and they will get on the site.