Alumni of non-football schools: Do you feel left out on fall Saturdays?

Parent Cafe
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<p>I just think it’s amusing for football-boosters to think that their fun is so universal that by golly those who don’t share it are missing out somehow and feel jealous of them! Bay, I see your point, but I’m no more interested in football than I am opera, and no one starts threads asking if those who don’t have season tickets to the opera feel left out and jealous. We are all adults – we know what we like and what we don’t. Other people enjoy football? Great!! More power to them, enjoy the games! But the premise that “if you only knew what you are missing” is the annoying one.</p>

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<p>Do I feel left out? No </p>

<p>Would it be more fun if my school was on TV more? Yes </p>

<p>Should this have affected my school choice in any way? No </p>

<p>Am I glad my school has chosen to pursue college sports in a more limited way than the schools whose football is always on TV? Absolutely … and, for me, it will be a sad day if it caves and decides to give scholarships and pursue D1 sports all out like the big boys.</p>

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<p>Maybe its sort of like not having a sibling-- you didnt have it so you don’t know what its like, and may not feel like you are missing anything.</p>

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<p>PG, that’s a good point. I know I’m overly enthusiastic about my sports teams, but I have managed to turn a friend on to MLB. She’s now an avid fan.</p>

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<p>My father played for a major state U team in the 50s and had 50yard line seats since he graduated. When I was about 7, my family figured it was cheaper to buy me a season ticket than pay a babysitter, as they tailgated before and after then game. (friend had RV they parked in boosters section, bruch started at 10am, 1pm game and we typically didn’t leave the parking lot until 7pm). I probably know more about football strategy and play calling than most guys. (H would agree to this statement).</p>

<p>Fast forward to college. Did I care about college having a team…no. Ended up my first 2 years at D3 school with lousy record. Everyone was required to attend the home games, which didn’t matter to me, as I had to be at every home game, since I was in the marching band freshman year and a cheerleader sophomore year. Transferred for my last 2 years to a school without football, but HUGE basketball program. I enjoyed basketball, but as a poor college student, I ususally scalped my tickets to big games at the bar across from the arena. </p>

<p>IMO, it’s one of those ‘nice to have’ issues, but I wouldn’t make my entire college decision on the football program (unless of course you are a recruited player). Your major and job opportunities upon graduation are more important.</p>

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<p>Schmaltz, I think a more interesting question to ask would be do the males and females on this board who are not sports fans feel a different level of pressure in terms of having to fake interest. </p>

<p>People who know me IRL know that this is an area I just don’t care about. I’d heard about Michael Jordan since I lived in Chicago, but I would only know what he looked like because he was in so many TV ads (and honestly, I’m not sure I’d recognize him if you just showed me a picture). I couldn’t have told you what sport Kobe Bryant played when apparently he caused some storm a few months ago for leaving the city where he played (and I still don’t get what the big deal was, given that sports stars routinely switch cities). I was in a discussion recently where someone mentioned Roger Federer and I could gather from the context that it was tennis, but beyond that … well, the last time I paid attention to pro tennis was when Elton John penned Philadelphia Freedom for Billie Jean King. But – as a woman, I don’t particularly feel a lot of social pressure to care. Ironically, two of my closest friends are in sports management for a living and talk all the time about various sports celebrities they manage – but I feel no shame or embarrassment for not knowing who these people are, or knowing nothing more about them than the name. I do suspect it’s different for men who are not sports fans, though, and that there is more pressure on them to at least superficially pretend to know / care.</p>

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<p>Ummm… wasn’t it LeBron James who caused the big stir by moving from Cleveland to Miami, not Kobe Bryant? Did you do that on purpose, pg? ;)</p>

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<p>As an aside, both my s’s attend/attended colleges with Div I sports teams that aren’t doing particularly well in most of their sports (especially football), with the exception of baseball. Neither s cares much about college sports (though younger s is a big pro baseball/football fan) and unfortunately neither school has much team spirit. They dont care, and dont follow the schools’ sports. They didnt pick a college based on the football team, but apparently there are people who do. Thats fine. Heck, I remember reading about some student who was gauging schools by how close the nearest Starbucks was. Heck-- if thats what matters and will make for a better all around college experience, fine by me.</p>

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<p>LOL! Ok, LeBron James! Whatever! See? I wouldn’t know either of those gentlemen if I tripped over them, nor do I have any idea whether they are “good guys” or “bad guys.” It’s just not on my radar screen!</p>

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<p>I am quite proud that my alma mater has one of the highest graduation rates for BB players in the country. I had a few of them in classes in my 2 years and I noted they worked hard in class and didn’t take fluffy majors. One was an accounting major and played for a few years in Europe after graduation; another was a Business major and was/is a major name in the NBA.</p>

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<p>Just picking some random school you did not attend and being their “fan” is not meaningful in male college football fan society. The only exception is if the school also represents your home state. Otherwise you are just a wannabe with no standing.
Last I checked nobody is paying out $200 million+ to sponsor opera on TV.</p>

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<p>I actually have a great-uncle who was an All-American for Penn, was in the running for a Heisman Trophy, and was elected to a College Football Hall of Fame. His name was Reds Bagnell and apparently there is some kind of yearly award given out in his name. Someone named Archie Manning just won it, who apparently is the father of two football players named Peyton and Eli who are big shots. Thank goodness for Google!</p>

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Someone named Archie with sons Peyton and Eli? You are funny, PG! </p>

<p>Actually, maybe Peyton is better known in some circles for his classic SNL skit a few years back when he hosted after the superbowl [Peyton</a> Manning’s Infamous Saturday Night Live skit The Chad | Change The Online Recruiting Game](<a href=“http://thechad.jobcentral.com/index.php/2007/03/30/peyton-manning-snl-video/]Peyton”>http://thechad.jobcentral.com/index.php/2007/03/30/peyton-manning-snl-video/)</p>

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<p>No “standing” to do what? Why, are there residency or graduation requirements for someone to watch or attend a college football game that need to be fulfilled before you cheer for them? ROFL. And a “wannabe”? Well, unless you’re on the gridiron throwing or catching those passes, you’re all wannabes. </p>

<p>Does that also apply to pro sports teams, btw? When it comes to baseball - Is it ok if I root for the Phillies since my grandfather worked for the Phillies organization, even though I haven’t lived in Philadelphia for years? My D is heading to Boston next week - does she “have” to cheer for the Cubs or White Sox, or is she “allowed” to potentially like the Red Sox too? How long does she have to live there for her to be allowed to like them? </p>

<p>Odd. So very, very odd and laughable. If that’s “male college football fan society,” then wow, I really am not missing much of anything by not participating.</p>

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<p>TV sponsorship is not the measure of the worth of an activity. </p>

<p>Unless, of course, you think that the appearance on TV of “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” and its ilk outweighs centuries of cultural heritage.</p>

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<p>Well said, PG. And LOL consolation!</p>

<p>And we knew you were joshing us with the feigned limited knowledge, pg. Throwing around terms like “on the gridiron”. Like you, I am familiar with the terms. I just don’t care. Actually neither does my DH. We’ll go to some local alumni events at the sports bar to watch his undergrad team play (they’ve even made it to the Rose Bowl a time or two). We go to be social. And so he can pull out a Badger t-shirt, I think.</p>

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<p>As my 16yo would say, Grrrr, Barrons. Just grrrrr.</p>

<p>Thankfully, plenty of us don’t care about the male college football society, or whatever you called it. I’m guessing you mean that you don’t like people jumping on your bandwagon? Or rappers wearing your colors? Personally, I don’t care whether fair-weather fans climb aboard my team’s ship only in good times. The more the merrier.</p>

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<p>Talk about missing the point, barrons. The point isn’t whether college football is more popular than opera. The point is whether people who don’t enjoy or care for a given activity are “missing out” by not having it be a part of their lives. Opera goers needn’t feel sorry for me since I don’t care for opera, and college football goers needn’t feel sorry for me since I don’t care for college football (beyond the once-a-year socialization). Everyone can enjoy his or her own interests and it’s all good, and no need for the faux sympathy.</p>

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<p>The level of pretentiousness in this thread is hard to believe. I’m sorry if you think that athletics and the unwashed heathens that participate them take away attention from culture, but can you keep that to yourself? Some of the posters in this thread take the prudish, all-women’s LAC art major stereotype to a new degree.</p>

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<p>You mean like this? <a href=“http://www.blogcdn.com/www.aolnews.com/media/2011/01/1tcu-billboard.jpg[/url]”>http://www.blogcdn.com/www.aolnews.com/media/2011/01/1tcu-billboard.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>LOL…</p>