Drop Back.
When I lived in State College, PA, I hated football. I was a waitress at a place called Ye Olde College Diner and while I loved football weekends for the tips, I hated the actual game. It came with the territory: the more you hated football, the better a waiter you became.
Working football weekends was a difficult feat. You were groped by a drunk idiots, stiffed by an sore losers, trampled by packs of frat boys, and having to sit through all the alumni stories about how “I graduated from Penn State before you were even born!” was torturous. But I made a lot of money—and I mean A LOT of money—so I jumped at the chance to work a football weekend.
When I went to Penn State, the football team was at the top of its game. They were well on their way to what would later become a bowl game and tickets were considered paper gold. For those of us that didn’t give a damn about the game, we made a killing selling our student tickets. It was a win-win for everyone involved: I worked and served people their fried food, stickies and milkshakes for tips, at the same time they paid me top dollar for my student tickets. For this reason, I never once went to a game.
Forward Progress.
It’s a Saturday afternoon in November of 2009 and I’m 35-years-old. The TV is on in our small (but nice) New York City apartment. The sun beats in through the windows warming us on an otherwise crisp fall day. My husband of six years sits next to me on the couch tapping away on his laptop. Our son is asleep in the room next door. It’s been 12 years since I graduated from Penn State (12 years!), and about 14 since I worked at the Diner. And I’m waiting. But it’s not on tables this time.
I’m waiting for the game to start.
When I applied for schools two years ago, I only went for three. OU, OSU and UNC. I remember my dad telling me that if I went to OSU, I could sell my tickets for the football games there, and if I went to UNC, my grandparents would probably take advantage of my privileges as a student for basketball games. The basketball games I cared about, the football… I enjoy it, but I’ve never gotten into it the same way. When school doesn’t overwhelm every part of my life, I’ll probably be doing the same thing you are. Though Jon isn’t into most sports, so whether or not he’ll be hanging out with me is questionable…
I went to Miami of Ohio, where not even the students tend to go to the football games, but being from Ohio means that I am an OSU fan. We share season tickets with several other people (they are VERY hard to come by and require a significant donation every year). There is just something special about attending an OSU game at the Shoe. From the Skull Session before the game to the pregame show with Script Ohio, it still gives me chills…I love college football!
I love it too! But I think next year, I’m going to pick a winning team. My sister-in-law is from Alabama and my brother and she relocated down that way a while back. I think I am gonna start rooting for Bama.
I’m exactly where you were in college, except I didn’t weight tables, I just didn’t like the game. I also don’t have the time, especially now with our son.
My husband said that I should go to at least one, for the experience if anything. Well this is my last year and I have yet to plan to attend one. And really, I don’t care too much for the sport. So eh…
But maybe in ten years it’ll be a different story.
It’s funny that you posted this story on the same day that my husband and were having a similar conversation.
Now, I can’t claim to have disliked college football (I went to Florida State in the ’90s and participated in all that meant), but my hubby and I were sitting on the couch last night watching our game, thinking about just how different our lives are now than they were back then.
100% sober? Check. Going to bed before the game is even over? Check. Toddler in his crib upstairs while we listen for any coughing over the monitor? Check. Yeah, none of those things were on the radar back then….
I’m became Alabama fan after the Iowa game!