Awww... sweet, I was glad to see you too, no joke. But you have hit on something important and fundamental about Cal sports: There were almost no SC fans because they ONLY care about winning, we have a deeper connection: Love. Love of the game, love of our friends, love of our school. We would have shown up in south central no matter wha…
Awww... sweet, I was glad to see you too, no joke. But you have hit on something important and fundamental about Cal sports: There were almost no SC fans because they ONLY care about winning, we have a deeper connection: Love. Love of the game, love of our friends, love of our school. We would have shown up in south central no matter what, but like Oregon fans in the Pac-12 championship, SC fans, really don't care about their team, or the game itself writ large.
What I’ve loved most about this season (other than all of the above, natch) doesn’t really have anything to do with football, ultimately, so let me tell you about a happening on Saturday that brought me joy.
As has been the case all season, the tailgate began well before game time, and as the afternoon transitioned to evening a shockingly large number of folks had gathered for this silly little football game. As we chanted for Nam and shared libations, a pair of curious first year grad students wandered by, heard the commotion, and asking what was going on. I explained the basics, and told them that they should come back at 7:00, when we would sing the drinking song and share a drink before heading to the game. They smiled, said thanks, and left. I assumed that they wouldn’t return to hang out with a bunch of olds drinking in a dark parking lot in the cold.
But just a short time later, they returned, with more friends. The bulk of the group were Germans studying abroad, and the found the entire party unique. We shared food and drink, tried in vain to explain what the lyrics to the Drinking Song mean*, and sent them extra tickets so that they could enjoy the game.
And that, ultimately, is what keeps me coming back each week. Do I enjoy shouting and carrying on in the stadium? Do I enjoy heckling the USC band? Absolutely. But it’s the new friends and the old friends and the friends you make for two hours who you likely will never see again but give you a memory anyway that make it so very worth it.
Awww... sweet, I was glad to see you too, no joke. But you have hit on something important and fundamental about Cal sports: There were almost no SC fans because they ONLY care about winning, we have a deeper connection: Love. Love of the game, love of our friends, love of our school. We would have shown up in south central no matter what, but like Oregon fans in the Pac-12 championship, SC fans, really don't care about their team, or the game itself writ large.
What I’ve loved most about this season (other than all of the above, natch) doesn’t really have anything to do with football, ultimately, so let me tell you about a happening on Saturday that brought me joy.
As has been the case all season, the tailgate began well before game time, and as the afternoon transitioned to evening a shockingly large number of folks had gathered for this silly little football game. As we chanted for Nam and shared libations, a pair of curious first year grad students wandered by, heard the commotion, and asking what was going on. I explained the basics, and told them that they should come back at 7:00, when we would sing the drinking song and share a drink before heading to the game. They smiled, said thanks, and left. I assumed that they wouldn’t return to hang out with a bunch of olds drinking in a dark parking lot in the cold.
But just a short time later, they returned, with more friends. The bulk of the group were Germans studying abroad, and the found the entire party unique. We shared food and drink, tried in vain to explain what the lyrics to the Drinking Song mean*, and sent them extra tickets so that they could enjoy the game.
And that, ultimately, is what keeps me coming back each week. Do I enjoy shouting and carrying on in the stadium? Do I enjoy heckling the USC band? Absolutely. But it’s the new friends and the old friends and the friends you make for two hours who you likely will never see again but give you a memory anyway that make it so very worth it.
Substack really need a Quote option.