But...before we talk about the fans: What in the name of all that is fair and right and good wasthis call by the refs in the BYU - Air Force game? Isn't every team, every week, trying to deceive the other team in some form or fashion? In a season where refs have come under fire these guys had a lot of nerve inventing this penalty on the fly.
College Football Fans
I tend to think NCAAF fans are a bit more "fanatic" than those of other sports. That is good for the sport...usually. A sport without livid fans is a sport with no future. This weeks topic comes on the heels of my own whining about poor play calls and unbelievable mistakes after the UGA game (see below).
My wife, responding to my whining, asked if fans really believe that players and coaches are not trying, not giving their best, each and every game. Good question. For many fans, when expectations are high and then not met, the fans are let down, frustrated, and it can ruin the whole day...or week...and they may not even attend the next game. Do such fans believe that the team and coaches were not even trying to win? Is it all worth getting upset over...or even violent? Please...let not our angst result in violence (a "fan" punched ND's QB Jimmy Clausen as he left a restaurant Sunday morning).
Admit it...we've all felt that there were moments, even entire games, where it seemed the team's
heart just wasn't in it - that they had other things on their minds. Lets give the players a little break since they are young, in school, in front of thousands. But the coaches...who are getting paid, and paid well, to make the right decisions...are they really not trying to win? Sometimes it seems like it (as shown below). But more than likely these coaches had a reason for making these calls...a reason that fans can't and don't see or understand but, nonetheless, a reason that justifies their high salaries.
Case #1: (pick any team) Calling a run up the middle on 3rd and long when your run game is averaging <3>
Case #2: (pick your team) Leaving in the QB who has thrown three interceptions.
Case #3: (LSU) The head coach calling for a spike with 1 second left instead of the potential TD and game winning play.
What about the UGA fans last week? Georgia played a flawless first half, going into the locker room up 20 - 6. But the 'dawgs came back a different team - in a way bad way. Dropped passes,
fumble on the 1-yard line, four turnovers, defensive breakdowns. Nothing could go right the second half. Fans were leaving the stadium with two minutes left while UGA was driving for the potential tying score. It was like walking out of a really bad movie just when it might get interesting (although that was not the case this time). Did the fans really think the players and coaches didn't want to win? Could they really just not stand one (or two) more minutes?
Tough losses are, well, tough. But true fans of the game and of the team will stand by the team, be patient, and recognize that the players and coaches are far more invested in the game than any fan. Their lives and their futures depend on it, while even the biggest of fans returns to normal life the next day not worrying about the week ahead of seemingly endless second guesses from ESPN reporters (and bloggers).
So ask yourself: Am I a fan of the game and the team or simply a fair-weather fan waiting for something to set me off? The schools and the NCAA don't care which one you are...money from either is just as green. But the team, the players - they want the true fans. The fans that will support them through the tough times and be there to celebrate the good. They want the fans who understand that everyone has a bad day, and that sometimes, the other team really is just that good and that much better.
Change, improvement, new blood and next year are a lot closer than we all think...
EndZone
You know the BCS is feeling the heat when they hire an ex-White House staffer to help reinforce its image in an effort to ensure the public that the BCS system is the best way to determine the national champion. Leave it to a government guy to pull the wool over every one's eyes. If the BCS system is so good why is there so much public outcry and government interference?