<p>I think it’s a bit unpredictable - I’ve seen kids who weren’t big school spirit types in high school turn into major fans at college. It’s not all bad, really - getting enthusiastic about the school’s sports teams helps form that lifetime bond with the school. If a kid is reasonably social and attends a school with big-time sports, I think it’s hard not to get caught up in it to some degree.</p>
<p>Roger, you’ve described my S exactly. He never watched sports on TV, neither pro nor college, and couldn’t have cared less that he was going to attend one of the biggest rah-rah schools in the state (UF). Suddenly, in sophomore year, he has season tickets to the football games and now is all caught up in the NCAA frenzy. I definitely see the bond beginning to form and it’s a good thing.</p>
<p>I have the gene, but it’s mostly down-regulated. I don’t watch a lot of sports, but I do look at the scores for D’s school in the sports page agate. However, being a UC man, the gene reawakens into full expression whenever UCLA makes the Final Four. GO BRUINS!!</p>
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<p>Binx…this made me chuckle. When DS auditioned at New England Conservatory, they were selling NEC Athletic Department tee shirts…There is NO athletic department. But we chuckled at that…and almost bought the shirt. Simply put…musicians can’t injure their hands…</p>
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<p>Nothing there to stop them from fielding cross-country or swiming teams.</p>
<p>X country is a possibility…But how many conservatories have the funds to have a pool???</p>
<p>Yeah, ironically S2 is the one we thought would attend school on a sports scholarship. The kind of kid who seemed to excel at all of 'em (except football, which I never let him try - Protective mother, small kid, and all that). Great defensive soccer player. Side-winding pitcher. Bulls eye the first (only) time he fired his uncle’s rifle. Swim coach said he’d never seen a 6-year-old do the butterfly so well (My personal butterfly does the dog paddle.) Nothing ever caught fire in him, though. After 9th grade (when he quit marching band) he never attended another sporting event in HS.</p>
<p>However, Juilliard’s volleyball team is undefeated since 1902. (They’ve played one game. Last fall. Against “Guilliard.” Juilliard won. They had sweatshirts made up, though, to make it official.) I love the tux-wearing mascot – Who says classical musicians are stuffy? (Missed that about the athletic dept, Thumper, when we visited NEC.)</p>
<p>I don’t worry near as much about his hands as I do about him getting hit or kicked in the mouth!</p>
<p>My oldest, though, is exactly what Roger talks about. Nothing in HS; crazy about sports now.</p>
<p>I definitely lack the rah-rah gene, but attended a big 10 school. Many like-minded souls were in the engineering program. We didn’t pick up our (then) free sports tickets, nor did we have any idea how our teams were doing. Had the football team gone to the Rose Bowl (it didn’t) or the basketball team had won the national championship (no luck there, either), that news might have infiltrated the haze. On the other hand, almost all the civil engineers knew the results of the concrete canoe races, but I doubt anyone else even knew we fielded a concrete canoe team!</p>
<p>My son attended every single football game in High School - you have to when you are in the marching band! Son has said he has absolutely no interest in watching sports in college and doesn’t care if the school he attends has any sports teams at all. My daughters school (on son’s list) has the most laid back football atmosphere I’ve ever seen. No charge to watch the games, cheerleaders but no band and an extremely casual audience. Most of the audience sits on the lawn surrounding the field instead of in the bleachers. We happened to go on homecoming weekend for a college visit when my daughter was checking out her college-to-be and they had a whole spread of free food for alumni and students and their award winning solar car was on display - and this was within shouting distance of the field. It was like it was a big party and, oh, by the way, there’s football over there. Felt pretty good to us.</p>
<p>No “rah rah” here either. The only person who played in all sports was maternal GrandPa. I think that we lack the angry aggressiveness required by the schools that take sports seriously. Our family motto? "It’s just a GAME, man!</p>
<p>My rah-rah gene was activated by TheMom and we’re season ticket holders for football plus occasionally go to basketball games or womens gymnastics, whatever.</p>
<p>TSDad: the lack of rah-rah gene explains the fact that neither you nor S has trojiecooties.</p>
<p>EllenF: My son will relate to your post!</p>
<p>Sounds like Northwestern would be a great fit!</p>