It's no secret I am passionate about college football, most especially the reigning national champions, The University of Alabama. Hey, I've been a fan since I was old enough to say "football," so don't throw the bandwagon moniker at me. My old F-150 has been a part of my life since the Mike Shula days, and the faded Bama banner that covers the back window was put on during his tenure at head coach, a couple years prior to Coach Saban's arrival.
That said, Cathy and I ventured down to Orlando, Florida to witness Alabama's opening game against the University of Louisville. Granted, there wasn't much fanfare about the opposing team; their previous Heisman winner has since entered the NFL and is making millions of dollars as a result. The guy was a great collegiate quarterback, but his replacement is a wonderful athlete in his own right.
On the contrary, the hub-bub surrounded which quarterback would earn the starting role with Alabama. It's been debated since the last national championship when a second stringer entered the game to beat the University of Georgia in a thrilling overtime victory. As tough as the decision was for Coach Saban, it was settled Saturday night.
It was interesting, as we sat in Camping World Stadium in Orlando that so many people can come together in the spirit of gamesmanship and sportsmanship to cheer for their team. We sat immediately adjacent to the Louisville fanbase and the school's band. Surrounding using Louisville took. Hey, no one really expected less, right?
What struck me as I sat there, however, was that everyone watching that game came from different walks of life. Different races were represented, and you can believe different political points of view were there to witness a ballgame. No one talked about the upcoming Supreme Court hearings, what was happening with the economy, large corporations, or international issues. We all gathered to watch finely tuned athletes play a game, and for four hours that's exactly what we did.
See, that's what entertainment is supposed to do--it's designed to take us away from the mundane and the real and put us in a place where we are just thousands of people sitting together cheering and jeering. That's fun, it's human, and it's as it should be.
It was an ugly night for Cardinal fans, but the ones I interacted with seemed to still have a good time. After all, we were in Orlando--the happiest place on earth according to some. A monsoon-like rain hit us just a few minutes before the game, but it didn't dampen the spirits of the fans. We were just a bunch of adults acting like kids enjoying a game played by kids. And for a few hours, we suspended our reality to just have fun.
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