When Mateo Martinez wears University of Colorado gear out in public, people laugh at him.

The 2005 CU graduate tries to defend the school by talking about the basketball teams’ recent successes, but it’s no use.

“Football is the straw that stirs the drink for people just casually paying attention,” he said. “It’s kind of an embarrassment.”

When people talk about CU athletics, they think of football, Martinez said. And when they talk about football, they use words like “laughing stock” and “punch line,” and those aren’t the kinds of words fans want to hear associated with their team of choice.