Who is your favorite college team? Why is that so; were you raised that way or did you decide to jump on that bandwagon after it had a little success? Some begin their allegiances after attending or graduating from said university, and others just pick them solely based on winning percentage and who their buddies like.
I for one was raised, not forcibly, to like who I like, and I absolutely love them, college and pro. I did not graduate from the university that I love because I was a small college athlete at the time, and actually attended the university of the “enemy” during a transition after the junior college playing days were over. I thought I might have a chance to continue my playing days at a smaller university, but stupid decisions and life got in my way, but I digress.
We can indeed be a fan of a university without ever having set foot in a classroom on our beloved campus. We never jump ship and we stay the course, and hopefully success for our college will come our way soon. I for one have never really understood why someone that was born and raised in Mississippi with no family ties to another state would take that particular state university as their favorite.
Maybe they got tired of the beat downs their first favorites were taking at the time and decided to chase whomever they saw on television the most. There are many reasons why someone would like a particular college without just picking one at random. A family member may have been given an opportunity athletically or academically to attend the aforementioned out-of-state university that afforded them a chance to further their education––these are not the circumstances I question.
I just find it odd when you were born and raised in Mississippi but choose to cheer for a border state school; in essence, your cheering for another state that you have no connection with. These are called bandwagon fans. That just does not make sense to me, but again, that is just how I was raised with a love for my state and a particular university, which leads me to my next category of fan, the sidewalk fan––someone who did not attend the university they love.
I have been in circles where I have heard a graduate talk down this certain sidewalk or hat and t-shirt fan, obviously not realizing that the stadium is probably 80 percent full of them on game day. That angers me to no end when I hear them say, “So you love such and such but have never stepped foot in a classroom on the campus of the university that you hold so near and dear to your heart.” I have never really understood that mentality.
Most of these fans spend money to attend games and buy merchandise in support of their colors, but these certain alumni find them silly because they didn’t attend the university they love? That makes no sense to me at all––NONE!!! I didn’t play for the Atlanta Braves, but I love them. I will still watch them as much as I can, regardless if they finish 22-140––well maybe not as much as normal if that is the case, but my point is clear. In fact, I love the New Orleans Saints as well and they have moved to 9-3 on the year…I never played a down for them, but that doesn’t matter either. Who Dat!!!
People love their respective universities for many different reasons, some honorable and some not so much, but the key word is “love” and that should be enough for anybody to accept. Just don’t badger somebody too bad about them not attending the university that they love, but be proud you did if you were blessed with that opportunity. Bandwagon fans, on the other hand, will probably like another university before long anyway and their opinions really don’t matter to any of us. May your team win them all, unless of course it is not my team. Oh yeah, better luck next year.
