President Donald Trump has confirmed he’ll attend a college football game between the University of Alabama and Louisiana State University (LSU) on Saturday. While it’s often a big story when the Tigers and the Crimson Tide face off (a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup this year, if you go by the Associated Press poll), Trump’s attendance adds a new dimension as the game now becomes a political football.

With Trump’s treatment at other recent sporting events making headlines and concerns that Alabama would institute a protest prohibition at the game going viral, ’Bama vs. LSU is about much more now. That’s why I’m writing this with the students of these two universities in mind. To those who plan to show up at Saturday’s game, I’m asking you to make a point of exercising your right to free speech if you feel safe doing so.

First of all, how did we get here? October is notoriously spooky, of course, but it’s also remarkably sporty, as it’s the only month of the year featuring games from all four major men’s pro sports leagues.

Trump took advantage of the sporting season by attending a Washington Nationals home game in D.C., where the Word Series crowd loudly booed him before breaking out into chants of “Lock him up!” (Trump may have had more support on the baseball diamond, though; during the Nationals’ visit to the White House after they won the series, one player wore a “Make America Great Again” hat.) Then, Trump attended a UFC fight in New York City’s Madison Square Garden. He might’ve expected a friendlier reception there, but he got a mixed reaction that included plenty of booing.

Now, some folks think the president’s visit to an Alabama may be an attempt at finding an even friendlier crowd than the UFC bout. Just how likely is it that the president will find what he’s looking for?

Based on what we know about how voters in Alabama and Louisiana favored Trump in 2016, it’s possible that Trump could have more supporters at an LSU vs. ’Bama football game than he would at, say, a baseball game in D.C. or a cage fight in New York City — two cities that went overwhelmingly for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. But that only makes it all the more vital that anyone willing to take a stand against the president and his policies be encouraged to do so — not scared by news headlines about potential repercussions.