Ahhh. Can you smell it in the air? The beautiful scents of barbecue, the approaching coolness in the air signalling the start of fall, the sharp diesel of someone's portable generator...
Can you hear it? The cadence of the bands, the greetings at the tailgate, the music blasting from the loudspeakers, the drone and conversation of the talking heads making their observations, analyses, and prognostications...
And can you see it? The explosion of every color in the visual spectrum, the facepaints, costumes, the headdresses... The beauty of the cheerleaders and dancing girls, the stately precision of the marching bands in their crisp uniforms, the pride on the faces of the alumni who have supported their alma maters for years, and the unbridled enthusiasm of the students for their schools, manifested in everything from face paint to body paint, from tattoos to brands, from different colored hair to different colored...whatever...
College football is BACK, baby! It is my humble position that THIS is the best time of the year, it's a defining time, special, beautiful, magical. There are those who plan for this season all year long, who set up and prepare for their teams' games from Wednesday till the following Sunday (I wonder where those people work and how they are able to afford all that, but that's another blog for another time) and who go to EVERY GAME, no matter WHERE it is. There are those who don't come to the stadium to actually SEE the game. They come for the tailgating experience, set up their generators and satellites, and watch the game in the parking lot. There are those who opt for the "best" seat in the house, meaning, their own living rooms. I mean, think about it. You get up close shots of the players and their uniforms, the reactions of the coaches, the referee when he calls the penalties, etc. You don't have to worry about being too hot or too cold in front of your TV, and if you want to yell about a bad call, you don't have to worry about offending anyone sitting next to you. (By now, you can probably tell where I fall in this description).
I'll tell you right now, I love the teams I love. I wish I could go with them to every game, and be right on the sidelines for every play. Back when I was young enough to play the game, there was no feeling like being out there on the field, in the trenches, in the battle, doing those things that we hoped would bring victory, and, sometimes, having to deal with the sharp sting of defeat. I can't do that now. I can only watch from a distance. But what prompts my discussion today is how some folks act before, during and especially AFTER the games.
A REAL fan ALWAYS supports their team, no matter what their record is. You are not a fan if you only support "your" team when they win. You are not a fan if you are yelling your head off for them when they are doing well and then turning around in the same breath and chewing them out when they don't do well. You have no right to criticize if YOU weren't at the practices, or lifting the weights, or doing the training. Love your team, and enjoy it when they win. But remember that "your" team doesn't OWE YOU anything. They get out there and they give it their all, and if they don't win, the LAST thing they need to hear is criticism from someone who wasn't even on the practice field with them.
A REAL fan doesn't act like an idiot towards the fans of other teams. I once spoke with a man who is a fan of the main rival for one of my favorite teams. He told me that he thought that everyone who was a fan of MY team wasn't a very nice person, because both times that he went to watch the game at the venue of his rival, one of the fans of my favorite team defaced his car in some manner. He got back to his car after one game to find all of his tires had been slashed (and that was after his team LOST). He came back after another game to find his car had been keyed horribly. That's not the action of a true fan. Loving a college football team is not a license to be foolish, rude, arrogant, or to engage in criminal activity. You don't get to annoy your co-workers at work. One or two harmless jokes in the name of the rivalry, ok. Being a fool every time you see them gets old after a while. Remember, YOU didn't do anything to contribute to "your" team's success at all. A REAL fan shows respect.
A REAL fan doesn't claim accolades or responsibility for that which doesn't belong to him. If the Army Black Knights (my alma mater)or the Georgia Bulldogs win the game, I'm ecstatic, but at the same time, I realize that I had no part in that victory. I just got to witness it (I hope). After the game is over, though, I don't get to belittle the fans of my opponents. A Florida fan is not beneath me or undeserving of my respect if we win the game, and vice versa. If Georgia or Army wins, that is no indication of my awesomeness. If they lose, that doesn't make ME a loser. And the players on ALL teams deserve the UTMOST respect of the fans, win or lose.
We're not supposed to like teams only because they win, and then abandon them when they lose. It doesn't matter if our team has lost the rivalry game 25 times. We HATE that, and we're obviously going to demand that the coaches and players do something about that, but we don't give up on the TEAM. We're not supposed to like only the fans who like our teams, and then disrespect and mistreat those who like other teams, especially our rivals. We're not supposed to allow the tapestry of our lives or the content of our character to be defined by the outcome of a game. We like our teams because of who THEY are and how they connect and reflect who WE are. THAT'S what makes REAL fans, in my opinion.
Go Dawgs, and GO ARMY!!! BEAT NAVY!!!
