College football excites and inspires
In the past three weeks, I have been to two of the biggest college football games in the nation. The first was when Tech played Notre Dame, and the other was this past weekend when I saw the Florida Gators take on the Tennessee Volunteers. After these two weekends, I have determined one thing: college football is amazing.
I don't want to knock the NFL, but they have nothing on college football. It has a following like no other. After being in Knoxville this past weekend, it was never more evident to me. The whole city shuts down and supports the team. The grocery store was even selling real alligator meat for fans to grill out. I don't even think you're allowed to kill gators, but they did. You rarely see that kind of devotion to an NFL team.
Our campus alone had more people on it than ever before when we took on the Irish. I'm not a guy who gets excited about much, but that got me excited. Seeing College Gameday, the fans for both schools and even fans from schools around the country was enough for me to recognize the supremacy of college football.
People travel halfway around the country just to watch a college football game. No matter which team is playing or how far away the game is, there are always fans from that school to show their support. The NFL has trouble even selling out the stands, but college football has no problem. Nebraska, for example, has sold out every home game since 1962. To hold these massive amounts of people, the universities keep renovating and expanding.
Texas just constructed the largest HDTV in the world inside their stadium just so people could watch the game they were already attending. Tech expanded as recently as 2003 to boost their capacity up to 55,000. The four biggest football stadiums in the nation belong to college teams. All this for a sport where the players don't even get paid.
But why do people love college football? I don't know all the reasons, but the key is passion. The players seem to give a little more effort. They seem to care a little more when they win or lose. And they don't have multi-million dollar contracts. They are playing because they want to.
The fans also show a great amount of passion. People go to the greatest lengths just to get to games and cheer on their team. They alter their lives and do the most mind-boggling things in the name of college football.
I know of at least four occasions when wedding dates were altered because there was a game that Saturday. There are countless "Peytons" running around Tennessee named after the Volunteer quarterback Peyton Manning.
Students, however, contribute the largest amount of dedication and passion. We are right in the middle of the action, even though sometimes we don't realize it. The students do contribute a majority of the support on game day though. We paint ourselves, stand and cheer all game and sing along to every song played by the marching band. If it weren't for the students, college football would lose its appeal.
Another possible reason the sport seems so meaningful is that it feels so personable. The guys we watch are in their twenties. We are cheering on fellow students who go through the same thing other students do every day. You could go watch one of the top receivers in the nation catch two touchdowns on Saturday and then see him in class on Monday.
These players aren't superhuman, but they carry more than just a win or a loss on their shoulders. They carry everyone's excitement, thrills and hopes.
Whether or not you like football or college, college football is worth cheering for. It has more passion, better games and an all around better atmosphere than any NFL team can boast.
If you don't attend the games, you really are missing out on something special. Take advantage while you are still here. When you are an alumni, you will beg to be in the student section just one last time.
So enjoy it while it lasts. Go to so many games you know the playbook, get caught tearing down a goal post and cheer for the underdog. That's what makes college football so special.
