A Football Game

I learned a lot today. As most southerners know (and a few northerners), football is big stuff down here. It's an all-Saturday event, as it was today. Also when you pack a small city of 30,000 people with around 100,000 in one day, all those people just make you excited.

The first thing I learned is that although there are 7 refs, they just don't see everything. Just like most other respectable groups (including all of the bowls), the ACC should adopt instant replay challenging. I also learned that, even when mistakes are made, Clemson is pretty good about not making penalties.

The second thing I learned is that the "woo-hoo" may have a better purpose than we all think. As loud as Death Valley becomes, it may help cue people as to when to start with "C" (especially those who can't hear as well as the good number of "inebriated" folks.

The third thing I learned is that, even though we stress it and may say we are, we do have our bad moments with sportsmanship. Making a good play is awesome. Continuing to cheer while a 20-year-old college kid is hurt on the field is not. Regardless of which team the hurt player is from, don't cheer that they're hurt, and applaud when they get up to go off. Football may be a contact sport, but people getting injured is still nothing to celebrate. Despite our cheers at an injury, I think "He showed us" says it best.

Before I point out the fourth thing, I'll say a bit about myself so you'll understand my fourth point. This is my 21st season of Clemson Football. I was there 21 years ago (almost), and I'm still here today, and I've never stopped pulling for the tigers since. (to further clarify, I turn 21 next month) I'm a pretty big Clemson Football fan, and I don't like missing their games. There are few I've missed as a student, and only because I was 300 or more miles away (one time gazing on the Pacific... while watching the game on tv and cheering so much many strange looks were aimed at me). Yes, I was there last year for Georgia Tech. Yes, I was there last week for Miami. And yes I was there today for BC.

There are a lot of very depressing moments I've experienced in Tiger Football. One of the worst was my freshman year road trip where three of us drove to Orlando for the Tangerine Bowl. (I'm not sure we played in that game... but our team was there, at least physically) There have been games where I've been ripped between a desire to cry or just fall to the ground and lie there for a very long time.

This brings me to point four, which I say with all 21 (almost) years of maturity I have. Football is awesome, but it's just a game. Yes. I said it. This may be the first time.

Last week I could no longer say 2-0, but I could say 1-1 against top-20 teams. This week, all I was left with is, "It could be worse." This has brought me to a revelation: it could be much, much worse. God could have never bestowed the wisdom on someone to create football. Then where would we be?

I can't base my attitude on whether or not Clemson has a winning season. Sure, it'd be nice. It would be absolutely incredible for us to bring the national championship back home again. But either way, my life still goes on, as does yours, and all 80,000 people who packed Memorial Stadium today. Sure, I'll scream my heart out (and wake up every Sunday morning after a game without a voice, or a hoarse one at that), but in the end, my joy isn't determined by a game. My joy comes from the simple knowledge that life is so much more than 11 days during the fall (and hopefully one more around Christmas) each year. I've got 353 more days every year to live life to the most that I can, and it'd be a shame if someone went their whole life without the same thought.

Just some thoughts. And yes, I'll be up in Winston-Salem next week, and I'll probably lose my voice again, but there's not a day this week I'll live without making the most of it.

There's so much more to life. Live it, and never look back.

Living life,
chris

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