I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t always been into sports. I’m not your typical Southern girl who was raised loving a certain sports team and wearing that color to death on hats, shoes, and jewelry. Raised by a single mom, there was not a lot of sports-watching going on in our household. However, as I got older, I realized how important this “sports” thing is to men, and when I began dating and eventually married a man who is a Bama football fanatic, I learned that I could either get into football and learn what the hell was going on or lose half our home lives to the tv.
So I learned. I actually learned how football is played three seasons ago when David and I were asked by a friend to work on the chain gang at his son’s high school football game. Nevermind the fact that I didn’t know what a chain gang was, I did not understand football. At all. I mean obviously I got the basic concept of a touchdown, but pass interference? Safety? Holding? No clue.
Well, let me just tell you, when you are responsible for a high school football team’s record-keeping on the field, you learn. You learn FAST. Within the first half of my first game I was running onto the field to help the refs measure, I was ducking and dodging players as they came flying at us while remembering where my place was, I was yelling at players and coaches alike to “move out of the way! Chain gang!”
And you know what? It was fun! When you know what’s going on in front of you, it’s exciting. I started watching college and pro games with David and paying attention to the calls; I cheered and booed with the crowd.
This is why I feel like I am a great mouthpiece for opinions on controversial topics like an all-SEC championship or the desire for a playoff system – I’m a blank slate. I’ve learned from the ground up what makes a football team successful or what makes them fail. I wasn’t raised from a tot with any preconceived notions; I learned as an adult these comparisons between life on and off the field.
That said, here are my thoughts on the big complaints that swirled around last night’s game for months.
1. Only SEC fans wanted to watch that.
It’s not anyone’s job to make sure YOU – you out there reading this – want to watch the game. I mean I guess in terms of television ratings, yes, someone out there wants you to watch for the advertising dough. But do you really love football or do you just really want to watch only “your” team or conference when they’re successful? How many people watch the Superbowl every year who don’t particularly care who wins? I watch pro games that I’m not particularly interested in; in fact, I’m the first to complain about NFL players being overpaid and how much it disgusts me that we pay our teachers, police officers, and firemen a living wage but Chris Johnson has tens of millions of dollars to stick up his ass. I much prefer the love and passion of college football. BUT I still occasionally watch. I enjoy a good, competitive game, regardless if it’s a kids’ team or the Tennessee Titans. To me, saying, "I don't even care about that game because it was LSU and Alabama/SEC teams" is like pouting because your friend won't play the video game you wanted to play and going home to tell your mommy. Man up and enjoy a good football game, and next year we'll watch as your team plays in the national championship and act like WE care..
Haha, just kidding. An SEC team will win again then, too.
2. Only SEC fans cared about a Bama/LSU rematch.
Similar to complaint #1, this one was swirling around the championship game for months. This one is easier and less opinion-based to solve: according to the BCS polls and whatever magic ranking system they use that I still ask questions about, LSU and Alabama were the number 1 and 2 teams in the country, so they played the championship game. That really wasn’t hard to figure out. If you have a problem with that, you have a problem with the whole ranking system, not the SEC or its fans, so I can’t help with that.
3. What, another low-scoring game? Boring!
This is perhaps the argument that I get most passionate about, because I find low-scoring games enthralling. I told David last night, “Maybe it’s a ‘to each his own’ kind of thing,” but I’m starting to think that the “each” who wants to see a 52-49 score is kindof stupid. We watched, I think, all of the bowl games this year, even falling for the hype of tuning in for the unveiling of the million-dollar Oregon uniforms. And do you know what I saw? Teams running up and down the field scoring on each other like drunk frat boys at a bar full of desperate homely chicks. Like the Oregon helmets, very flashy and pretty, but only impressive when playing against another team with a so-so defense. If I wanted to see a basketball score on the board, I’d watch a basketball game. I guess, again, that’s a personal opinion, but I don’t find anything exciting about a football game in which offense tramples up and down the field and defense just eats Little Debbies and watches.
Oh hey, now I want an oatmeal cream pie.
4. We should have a playoff system instead! That would be more fair!
I would welcome – WELCOME – a playoff scenario that could allow a team like Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, or LSU to play a top-ranked team from another conference, because I really love saying, “I told you so.” I would love to see Alabama defense crush the Stanford offensive line and answer with running the hell all over their defense. I would love to see the look on Mike Gundy’s face when LSU rakes Oklahoma State across the coals and he has to eat his absolutely insane "I think people have to decide if they want to see a 9-6 game or a 39-36 game” statement that made me wonder if they drug test coaches as well. So I can’t argue there. All I can say is that if you are asking for a playoff situation that could ensure SEC teams filling the top FIVE spots instead of sprinkled amongst the top ten, be careful what you wish for.
5. [Name of your college here] deserved a chance to play in the championship!
Well, obviously they didn’t, because they weren’t ranked higher than the either of the top 2. This isn’t a playground at recess where we feel sorry for the kid who keeps getting his toys taken away. You want your train back? Get bigger and stronger than the kid who took it and go get your damn toy.
Thanks for reading. I’m going to bake some cookies.. Maybe I am a “typical” Southern girl after all!
You are a quick learner for sure!!!!
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