I have neglected posting on this thing for some time now. Not that anyone is probably watching or reading, but I thought it necessary to toss out that beginning. I was at a college football game last night with my dad. It was supposed to be THE game, the University of Tennessee Volunteers vs. the University of Florida Gators. Dad got hold of some tickets way up in the upper deck "QQ". The stadium holds over 108k people so when I say way up, I mean that we were in a different weather system from the field.
Neyland Stadium is the largest of its kind in the South--a tribute to how much the University and the city of Knoxville love the VOLS. There is so much hype heading into a game. Politicians selling politics, charities asking for donations for towels, seats, and programs, and a 'village' of tailgaters who want to have a good time.
Since the days of Steve Spurrier, the University of Florida has been one of the fiercest competitors in the already powerhouse SEC. They have also been one of our biggest rivals. Some fans would say 'most hated'; I just say biggest. But I will get back to that in a minute. Because of them being such a talented team, and because they have such a strong fanbase, there were a lot of Gators on campus. Traveling from Florida in their favorite charter buses, they brought with them a palpable excitement and enthusiasm for their team. There weren't many I ran into that would do more than quote stats with you or talk to you about how they liked the town. Nice People. Just fans.
Sure there were drunks there, and stoners... Students that had partied all night the night before and were running on fumes. The Police and Security officers sent these on their way, (mostly). But then there were the crazed fans. The ones wearing gator-hater shirts and hats, cussing at every blue shirt they saw and brick-shouldering anyone that looked lighter than them. These were the fans that made me a little nervous climbing to the top of the stadium. Two of them got in a fight ahead of us. Some shoving and a lot of shouting, and I figured I was about to go back down the steep steps quickly. But it settled out thanks to some level heads around them.
We kept moving and sat down beside a nice guy named Josh and his wife - never heard what she said her name was. Soon the teams were coming out, first UT bursting through the "Power T" and then the Gators with a burst of blue from the south end and "boo" booming as one from the majority of the crowd.
What is that? Why did they think they had to hate in order to be a good fan? What about respect for worthy opponents? What about them bringing their best game so that we had to play our best? The game was well fought and while there were a few controversial calls, they seemed to balance out. Florida won. Florida just outplayed Tennessee, all the way down to the 12th man.
...And it got me thinking.
Are there any attitudes or challenges in my life that could do with less booing and more rising to the challenge? Am I one who needs to degrade someone else to make myself stand out? What kind of man am I? A fan or a hater?
Lord, don't let me be a hater.
Neyland Stadium is the largest of its kind in the South--a tribute to how much the University and the city of Knoxville love the VOLS. There is so much hype heading into a game. Politicians selling politics, charities asking for donations for towels, seats, and programs, and a 'village' of tailgaters who want to have a good time.
Since the days of Steve Spurrier, the University of Florida has been one of the fiercest competitors in the already powerhouse SEC. They have also been one of our biggest rivals. Some fans would say 'most hated'; I just say biggest. But I will get back to that in a minute. Because of them being such a talented team, and because they have such a strong fanbase, there were a lot of Gators on campus. Traveling from Florida in their favorite charter buses, they brought with them a palpable excitement and enthusiasm for their team. There weren't many I ran into that would do more than quote stats with you or talk to you about how they liked the town. Nice People. Just fans.
Sure there were drunks there, and stoners... Students that had partied all night the night before and were running on fumes. The Police and Security officers sent these on their way, (mostly). But then there were the crazed fans. The ones wearing gator-hater shirts and hats, cussing at every blue shirt they saw and brick-shouldering anyone that looked lighter than them. These were the fans that made me a little nervous climbing to the top of the stadium. Two of them got in a fight ahead of us. Some shoving and a lot of shouting, and I figured I was about to go back down the steep steps quickly. But it settled out thanks to some level heads around them.
We kept moving and sat down beside a nice guy named Josh and his wife - never heard what she said her name was. Soon the teams were coming out, first UT bursting through the "Power T" and then the Gators with a burst of blue from the south end and "boo" booming as one from the majority of the crowd.
What is that? Why did they think they had to hate in order to be a good fan? What about respect for worthy opponents? What about them bringing their best game so that we had to play our best? The game was well fought and while there were a few controversial calls, they seemed to balance out. Florida won. Florida just outplayed Tennessee, all the way down to the 12th man.
...And it got me thinking.
Are there any attitudes or challenges in my life that could do with less booing and more rising to the challenge? Am I one who needs to degrade someone else to make myself stand out? What kind of man am I? A fan or a hater?
Lord, don't let me be a hater.
0 comments:
Post a Comment