“Omg, what a catch”
“NOOO”
“WOOO”
“😵💫😵💫I’M STRESSED”
“Touchdown!!!”
This is what the texts between my friend and I looked like during the Rose Bowl as we watched the game “together” from our respective homes. While I’ve never been a football fanatic, my dad taught me the basics of the game at a young age. So maybe I don’t know the names of all the players, but I’ve always enjoyed watching a game of football even if it is just to watch the Browns lose as Cleveland native.
Coming to Michigan gave football a whole new meaning. The game-day experience isn’t quite like anything else and the camaraderie I feel during a big game is indescribable. My cousin once joked that he had friends who were now well into their 30s and were still obsessed with Michigan football. And while I may have laughed alongside them before my freshman year, now I could easily imagine myself as one of those 30-year-olds.
The weekend before the National Championship, I debated spending one more night in my comfy home bed or coming to campus early to watch the game with some friends. As much as I love my bed, I knew watching my school play in a National Championship was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the prospect of witnessing history won me over.
As soon as I got back on campus, I slipped into my Michigan crewneck and began digging for my maize and blue makeup that hadn’t been worn since fall gamedays. Maize eye shadow, blue eyeliner, and blue hearts decorated my face, a free scarf wrapped around my neck, and a free hat sitting on my head (thanks LSA!). Stopping for Dominos as our pregame meal (of course), my friends and I made our way to the Crisler Arena. The room was abuzz with nervous excitement, and we saw people left and right decked out in maize and blue.
Watching the game surrounded by other Wolverines was such a fun and unforgettable experience from singing “Let’s Go Blue” to doing the wave. The fans all rose to their feet with each big play and maize and blue lights flashed in the arena with each touchdown. As the clock wound down to zero, we all stormed the court with “Mr. Brightside” blaring in the background. I sang and jumped with people I had never even met before as we all reveled in the excitement of the team’s victory.
Football teams were the least of my priorities when choosing a college, but that night I couldn’t help but think how amazing it was that I experienced my college win a National Championship. So, if you’re a University of Michigan student who has yet to go to a football game, this is my public service announcement to embrace the experience of a game at least once during your college career. Yes, our school probably spends too much money promoting football instead of other worthy causes, but you might as well see where all this money is going. Football fan or not, there’s just something about these games that makes you feel you’re a part of something bigger.
After the game, campus was so alive, and “It’s great to be” chants sporadically echoed throughout South U. There were people in trees, people on roofs, and a smile on everyone’s face. Crowds formed around the reporters’ cameras and people even asked the police surveying the area for pictures. When I got home, I was still jittery with excitement. I was so happy with my decision to come to campus early to watch the game and make memories that will last me a lifetime. But whether you were in Houston, at a bar, with friends, or in the comfort of your own home, for those 4 hours, Wolverines around the world were united in the thrill of victory.