Sports Then and Now

That is the theme in the football hotbed of the South.  You better pledge your allegiance to the Gators, Vols, or the Dawgs in the state of Georgia. The Atlanta Falcons? The NFL who?

This is college football country y’all!

Time to paint your faces! Slap that sticker on your SUV! Buy your pet a shirt sporting your favorite team’s logo (yes my friend’s roommate bought a Georgia Bulldogs shirt for two of her cats)!

As I mentioned in my previous blog, NCAA Football=Not Competitive At All Football, I am not a diehard fan by any stretch, but damn these fans are rabid!!

I went to Atlanta for Labor Day Weekend to visit my displaced Yankee buddy. Little did I know, the city was hosting ‘Bama-Virgina Tech at the Georgia dome. The train was packed with fans. Hotels for a 10 miles radius were sold out. The city was under siege for the first time since Sherman arrived.

I was actually afraid to wear my Florida Gators shirt. I thought I may get clubbed like a baby seal by a Georgia or ‘Bama fan. Little did I realize, is that the Gators are as well represented “up north” as they are in Gainesville. I would have been amongst friends.

My friend in Atlanta is a crazed Florida fan. She actually has Tim Tebow as her Facebook profile picture (shirtless of course). I am on my way to meet up with her and some friends to watch the Gators devour Charleston Southern.

Paint thy face is a college football fan commandment.

My prediction is Gators 56 Charleston Southern 3. Let’s see how close when I get back.

Stay tuned….

Damn the final score of the Florida game was 62-3. I was only off by 6 points. Cumberland College can crack open the champagne, their record is safe for now.

Well I missed connecting with my friend who is the die hard Gator fan. Plans change and so did the team colors.

I was trapped at Auburn University Fan Headquarters in Atlanta.

We all went to a bar that was Auburn University’s headquarters. I felt like I was sneaking into an enemy encampment. The AU banner was hung. All the fans were decked out in their orange and blue colors. Little girls were dressed like cheerleaders. Grown women had pom poms. There even was an Auburn University cake.

My friends told me I may get some gruff because I was wearing a hat that “resembled” a ‘Bama hat. My hat says MGM Grand Las Vegas. If these crazed fans can only see a color of a hat and not read what’s on it, they should be worrying about more than just football!

The night ended watching BYU upset Oklahoma. Injuring their Heisman winning quarterback and all but ending the Sooners’ National Championship hopes and dreams. Sam Bradford was standing on the sideline dejected and helpless. You felt bad for him.

Only in NCAA football can one early season loss destroy your season before it really began. Georgia lost to Oklahoma State. Oklahoma lost to BYU. Their seasons could already be in the books before Labor Day weekend even ended.

Maybe this is why college football fans are basically crazed and caged wild animals. One  bad call or bounce and there is always next year.  I am beginning to finally understand this species of sports fan. They give passion a whole new definition.

When you come to ‘Hotlanta, choose your team! Stand by them proudly. If you are not from here, appear that you are. Play the part. Buy the gear. Paint thy face.

Love college football or die!

Joe Gill is a resident blogger for Sports Then and Now. His Cup of Joe column can be read each Tuesday and Friday on Boston Sports Then and Now and occasionally on the national Sports Then and Now site.