We all know the whirlwind of dramatic fan rivalries that resulted from the popular “Twilight” series, pegging two supposed super-studs against one another. This, of course, was the “Team Edward” and “Team Jacob” frenzy that had teenage girls (and even adults) pining over a fictional vampire and werewolf, desperately defending their chosen team at any given moment. However, since Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games books were released in September 2008, and the movie followed this March, has a new set of teams emerged?
“I think it’s building up,” said Kaitlin Morris, a psychology sophomore. “Especially when the second movie comes out, I think there will be a real ‘Team Peeta’ ‘Team Gale’ situation,” Morris added, and said she has read all three books in the series. “When she (Katinss) is with Peeta, I’m all for Peeta. But when she’s with Gale, I’m all for Gale.”
On one side, we have Peeta Mellark, the sweet, sensitive, blond-haired baker who wears his heart on his sleeve. And on the other side, there’s Gale Hawthorne, the practical, straight-to-the-point huntsman with a mysterious edge. In the middle, of course, is the girl they both love, Katniss Everdeen, who can’t make up her mind about who she wants, or if she even wants anyone at all.
Of course, “The Hunger Games” as a whole centers on far more than just teenage love, but it seems there is a pattern emerging here, especially since the movie release.
There are many “Team Peeta” and “Team Gale” shirts available online. There’s even one that says “Forget the sparkly vampire or the shirtless werewolf. Just give me Peeta and Gale!” on cafepress.com. Some of the Peeta shirts read: “I love the Boy with the Bread,” “Team Peeta” and “Mrs. Peeta Mellark,” while a number of different shirts and pins say: “Team Gale” or “Mrs. Gale Hawthorne.”
“It’s such a good book. Why are they ruining it?” asked Michael Berube, an astrophysics freshman. He said he doesn’t think it will reach the magnitude that Twilight did, if at all, because “The Hunger Games” appeals to a different demographic, he explained. “It’s a literary technique that’s been used for hundreds of years. I don’t think it’s any more common now than it was before.”
John Hottenstein, an engineering sophomore, said he thinks it’s definitely happening. He said that he and his girlfriend recently had a quarrel over Peeta and Gale, in which Hottenstein sided with the latter.
Swooning, crushes, and absolute disdain aside, what are your thoughts? Do you think a rivalry among fans is emerging, or is this all trivial nonsense?
