My Grand Ode to College Football… Not!
Everybody has a favorite time of the year. Whether it’s the hot laziness of summer or the bitter coldness of winter, there are moments of the year when everything smells better, the colors are brighter and nothing can go wrong. For me, growing up as a sports crazy boy in a small, college town in “The South” was really amazing. During the fall, everything is second to Saturdays. The weekdays seem to build up to a crescendo of noise and energy that suddenly comes to an end on Sundays. Going to a college football is still one of my favorite events because its not just a game, its much more than that.
In truth, the above paragraph is overly grandiose and attributes much more to college football than it deserves. If I grew up in London, I would be talking about soccer and if it was India, I would be cricket crazy. For some reason, I gravitate towards sporting events with as much fervor as a kid in a playground. For me, the aspect I most appreciate about the game day experience, and there are indeed very many, is the sheer scale at which a big-time college football game is played.
Imagine all of the food and liquid consumed throughout the day. The gas used to transport people to and from the games… and the noise. These are all what makes college football exciting. There is a scene in the move Gladiator when Juba, the African friend of Maximus, views the Colosseum for the first time and says, “I didn’t know men could build such things.” I felt the same way when I first laid eyes upon Jordan-Hare Stadium, the on-campus stadium of Auburn University. I was such in awe and intrigued to see such a large building. Granted I was only 3 years old and “fresh off the boat” from Burundi, this event started an obsession that I have not fully recovered from since.
In summary, humanity have advanced from killing each other and wild animals for sport to watching 300 pound men smash into each other. In my opinion, everybody wins!