College football is back….thank god. Honestly there’s nothing like it; whether it’s the passion of the fans or the “never say die” energy of the players…its what we all kind of wish was the NFL fan experience. But this isn’t a blog of about how we wish the NFL players cared more (that blog is coming), this to highlight the effort some fans put in to be a “true” fan.
But what does it mean to be a “true fan”? Well today reminded me of just that. To start, the games today were great (if you didn’t watch the Colorado game, you missed the game of the year). But they reminded me of a major part of the college football viewing experience…..watching College Football is hard!!!
Ok, maybe not for the 15-29 Crowd, you know who’s responsibility level on the weekend is “just don’t be tuned up on Monday”! But for those of us with young kids (just wait Kayce Smith), figuring out how to watch a full Saturday of college football is a pipedream. That’s just not going to happen, and unless a game falls within “naptime”, it is an effort to watch the majority of the games on Saturday. Kids have activities, or just need to be entertained, and none of those things involve been at home in front or you TV for 8 hours.
And for those of us with a significant other who also enjoys football, it’s even more stressful because you are both trying to figure out how to get some ESPN screen time. At least if you’re the only who likes football, you can maneuver your way to watching the games by suggesting activities that only require one parent (and not you) to attend. “I bet (insert kids name) would love to go to the zoo today”. But when you both want to watch, you’re just praying for a miracle (like this this the Saturday my daughter is going to want to sit down and spend 4 hours painting a picture) is going to occur. So watching college football is stressful!|
The secret is, those of us with kids, we find a way! We prioritize being a great parent over the game….. over the majority of the game. But that’s what makes us special, we figure out activities that ensure we are never 5 seconds away from a TV. We keep track of scores and know the drives…..and when the 4th quarter comes, we can get to a TV quickly in case of an season changing drive.
So what’s the point of this blog….no, not to say we are perfect parents who don’t make questionable decisions, it’s to remind the younger generation that as college football fans get older, it requires more effort to stay on their level of fandom. We don’t have a free Saturday to “catch the games at the bar”, we have adulting to do. We have the gym, or target, or home depot to do. So when we can break down the game the next day, appreciate that effort.
Last but not least, a quick PSA. For some reason, the majority of kids sports/activities happen on Saturday. Stop that, balance out the weekend. Have some thing be before noon on Sunday (CST).
For those younger fans, remember, to be close to your level means we read the recaps, watched the highlights, and potentially watched the game because we made sure to record it. We are all fans at the same crazy level….it just may take more effort for some of us to get there.
