A couple of weeks back, I went back home to the great state of Oklahoma and was gifted some free University of Oklahoma football game tickets. As a result, I opted to endure the hot sun and went to the game. This wasn’t my first college football game, but it was the first one I had been to in a long time. Considering my current university does not have a football team, I’d say I had a good reason to get excited and dressed up for this one.
Do I consider myself a big football fan? Not really. Do I know what a linebacker does? Nope. Do I know what a touchdown is? Of course. The touchdowns I feel like are what really gets everyone up cheering, screaming and dancing despite what your knowledge level of the sport is. This part of football, plus the rush of watching a good game, are things I miss out on in the late summer and fall here at school. Yes, there are many other sports like softball or volleyball around the same time to participate in. However, there’s something about the football culture, the excessive tailgating parties and fan dedication regardless of the weather that really takes away from the experience and makes me miss not having it.
A possible plus to not having a football team means you are forced to put more time into other sports. This means being able to attend and yell at soccer or volleyball games without feeling like you need to save up energy for the big football game on Saturday. I’ve always been a huge volleyball and basketball supporter, so now I just bank on these sporting events as my opportunities to cheer and show spirit. Another possible benefit—that can also be a negative—is just the feeling of being bored on campus during the weekend. When I went to football games back home, any game weekend there was always a sense of excitement and fun things with free food on campus. You knew it was a game weekend because people would be out and about in their school colors all day. It truly was the perfect excuse to neglect all school work and responsibilities, so not sure what my excuse is now.
Despite the fact that we don’t have a football season, our school still does a good job in generating student school spirit and excitement on campus through other various fun activities. Sure, during the fall I may feel a small sense of FOMO seeing my Oklahomies engage in tailgates, but at least I’ll never have to worry about my school’s team losing.