The Most Wonderful Place on Earth
The atmosphere surrounding the first game of each college football season compares only to that of New Year’s Eve, wedding receptions, and graduation day. It’s the sense of excitement about what “could” happen, looking forward to the big milestones to achieve, and the optimism of the thought that this could be your teams year. What it means most though, is that this is the start of another great fall of spending time with those who matter most to us. Tailgates with friends and family, cheering on your team with other season ticket holders you’ve become friends with over the years, and reconnecting with old friends you don’t see as much as you would like. Those 4 hours you spend in the stadium is a sanctuary from life’s constraints, where no one cares who you vote for, and everyone unites as one. It’s a place where you can forget your problems, find a sense of comfort in a place where you have tremendous nostalgia, and find that sense of continuity everyone seems to be searching for.
Each college football program offers a unique experience and a sense of pride to each fan. It’s something that only you can understand, and an outsider never will. It can come from being a proud alum, rooting for your local team, or one who loves a team history and traditions. The motivations may vary, the level of fandom might be different, but the love and commitment are all the same. It is something that is passed from parents to their children and helps connect generations.
In an era where the salaries and investment in both professional and collegiate athletics are under great scrutiny, maybe we should consider why those investments are willingly made. The financial and monetary benefits are easy to understand, but what is never discussed is the emotional and nostalgic senses that help influence that willingness to spend. Look at the people who buy custom motor homes and spend all their disposable income on season tickets and booster club donations. What about the people who live across the country from where their team is located, and spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars to go watch for maybe only a single weekend each year? Through both the good and bad times their commitment and decision to do so year after year never wavers. Whether your team is a national champion or a team where 6 or 7 wins makes a year successful, there will always be fans and alumni who come every week no matter the weather, opponent, or significance of the game.
Clemson Memorial Stadium, aka Death Valley, was home to some of the greatest memories I ever had. It’s where players like Tajh Boyd, Sammy Watkins, and Nuk Hopkins put a program on the rise that would now be considered a dynasty in the making. It’s where Dabo Swinney began as a doubted assistant with a funny voice, then become the most beloved figure in Clemson history who has helped bring the football team and university to unprecedented heights. I miss the feeling I used to get walking up to the stadium, the sense of excitement each fall Saturday morning, feeling the ground shake when a touchdown was scored, and the joy of victory when the fans joined the player on the field after each game. However, the huge victories, bowl wins, and NFL draft numbers aren’t what matters most at the end of the day. What mattered most to me where the memories I made with all of my friends, many of whom I consider the best I ever had. I’ve been a groomsman in one wedding, traveled to meet a friend in Texas, taken friends on tours of New York City; but what we seem to talk about most were all the fun times we had in college. Our Clemson Tigers is what helps keep us together, helps make more memories together, and never forget the great ones we already made.
Sports are one of the few things that have survived through all the years. Through wars, civil strife, and times of tragedy its where many people turn to for a sense of escape. Those stadiums, those teams, and those memories remind us of all the times that were good and gives us all a sense of optimism that the future can be the good times that seem to elude us. It’s money we have, but peace many of us lack. Maybe that’s what makes that money worth spending to us. And whether there’s any return on that investment, it always seems to be worth spending. Maybe we need to consider more than if coaches and players deserve such salaries, if “amateur” athletes need such lavish training facility and lounges, or if a team needs a new stadium every 20 years. The community and personal identity of a team play a part to many people, and it helps those teams become something where spending such money becomes easier, and in many cases, worth spending regardless of success or failure. Life isn’t always dollars and cents or back and white, and many times we need things to remind us of that. For many people, sports is what fits the bill, and to them, it’s a bill worth paying.
James Loeffler
Sports Throne Blogger
