Before coming to UF, I really didn’t care about college or professional sports. I played tennis in high school, but that was the extent of my athletic interests.
However, once I was thrown into the hot, loud, beaming environment that is the Swamp, I just had to get into sports – namely football and basketball.
Do I know how both games work? No. But do I know how to put together a cute orange and blue outfit for tailgates? Yes.
See, I find that enjoying sports, at least in college, is less about knowing the mechanics of the game and more about getting in the right spirit. I chant when everyone around me chants, I cheer when everyone around me cheers, and I boo when everyone around me boos. The Swamp is the one place that I don’t care about being a follower.
That’s the best part about being a Gator – it’s a tight-knit community (if you consider 60,000 people tight-knit). Everyone wants to see us win while obnoxiously doing the Gator Chomp. Until this year, I have genuinely never felt more joy from aggressively clapping my hands together (right over left, don’t mess it up or people will give you some major side-eye).
My high school football team was pretty bad, so I never got the hype of going to the games. Coming to a SEC school was a big shift in football culture. The Swamp (UF’s football stadium) is known for having one of the best gameday atmospheres. It’s really no joke.
Between chomping, chanting, and singing “Won’t Back Down” by Gainesville native Tom Petty, there truly has been no other experience that compares to a football game here. Tens of thousands of people from all kinds of backgrounds come together for one thing – to watch the Gators play, and hopefully win.
While I have won the (nonexistent) Ticketmaster war for student season football tickets, I haven’t won the great war that is the men’s basketball line. At UF, all sports tickets are free (except football), but the catch is, seats are first come first serve. Given my busy schedule this semester, I had a hard time queueing up for a basketball game. Some people have camped overnight, and I applaud them for their dedication, however if I had done that, I’d have some insane back issues for weeks to come.
Home basketball games are over, but I have been cheering from afar during March Madness. At the time this article’s being written, we’re gearing up for the Final Four game. Fingers crossed we win.
Regardless of stats or game outcomes, the sports culture at UF is simply unmatched. I used to not care about watching Monday Night Football with my dad (I still don’t), but now, SEC and NCAA games have me on the edge of my seat every weekend. These days, my school spirit is at an all time high.
It is great to be a Florida Gator, after all.