I am convinced that residents in the southeastern region of the US are going for an all-time high this year. Apparently, this has been going on for years, but – it is probably not unique to the southeast. So, what folks are doing – in my observation – is amping up their anxiety level, as much as they can, and on purpose, as hard as they can, and with great force. We’re talking a force so great that – if you were to touch your lips to it – it would empty your mind!! (Not to be confused with that girl you once met, maybe a few summers ago, and who, as a matter of fact, kissed you with such force that – it emptied your mind). So, ehmm. Right. – not to be confused with that…
Wait. Here – over here! Back on point – I’m talking about, of course, the upward-arc trajectory of excitement surrounding the start of the college football season. Ohh, yes! You can hear it, right!? The buzz – in the air. You can feel it even. Like, the air around here is heavier.
The hum of the Hallelujah Highway is virtually all lit up now – 24/7 – there is the undeniable, ever-present, excitement – and to amp it up, to crank the pressure – this supposedly makes it feel better – when the season finally, actually kicks off…So – right now, all that we know is…
It’s. About. To go. Down.
So – you do know, yeah? – what is the greatest thing about banging your head against the wall? Yeah? You know it? Yep – Absolutely correct – it feels really really really good when you stop!
But for right now – there is this palpable anticipation that shoots its way through the veins of every moment – aye, yi, yi!!!Kickoff is just about to be here…Ohhhh! It hurts! But it hurts so good! When your team gets that first kickoff – all better! We love it! We absolutely love it! It is just, so, straight – jaw-dropping! What we’re waiting for…the whoosh of the season start – yes – …and where there is something like a collective rush of wind – and all-of-a-sudden…the game – is under way…and simultaneously – grown men and women – from all across the country – are jumping up-and-down – like prairie dogs on crack! (Stop! And picture that – the prairie dogs – for a moment…).
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. This is what we do. This is its own kind of Christmas. Speaking of – how long into the season before you get…eyes as red as Christmas? It’s. About. To go. Down.
From these moments – we get other moments, many of which are almost just as glamorous. What I’m referring to are the storyteller moments. This thing – this football – season – thing. College football. This has made the storyteller… out of many-a-shy-lad…and many-a-shy-lassie.
These are the ones you tell – and re-tell, and re-tell. These stories – they live on. And on. And on. They are – timeless.
And they are the vibrant-coloured threads of our culture. They are ties that bind. These are the stuff of heroes, and legends. These are the stories that make all the other stories…able – to be told.
College Football. It’s. About. To go. Down!
By Dr. Rodney J. Blackman
Dr. Rodney J. Blackman is the Chair of Recreation Management at the United States Sports Academy, and can be reached at rblackman@ussa.edu.