I love sports. Let me repeat for emphasis. I love sports. When asked which I care about more, sports or theatre, I usually take a while before I answer. When I'm driving in the midwest I'm listening to a Cubs game, growing up with the now, finally, hall of famer Ron Santo (RIP) and Pat Hughes. On Saturdays, I'm watching college football. On Sundays, I'm dressed in green and yellow watching the Packers play. The Superbowl is a holiday, the month of March is a spectacle, and nothing compares to October baseball. My favorite sport to play is football. My favorite professional sport to watch is football and my favorite college sport is football. But when asked what team I want to see win it all, I will always answer with the Chicago Cubs first and foremost. But I still love my teams.
When I am asked the question, "Who is your favorite college team (particularly football)," I answer in two parts. As a loyal Iowan, I grew up on the Hawkeyes and living in a state where the professionals only fly over, Hawkeye football is a religion, but I am a man of two gods. I pray to the Hawk, but just as equally I pray to the all powerful Leprechaun. I have been a Fighting Irish fan since I could walk. My father went to Notre Dame for his masters and his PHD and just as equally as I love the Hawks, I cherish the Irish. Their last National Championship came in the year of my birth and I can only assume that is a sign. In a full season, no matter where I am, I usually watch at least 75% of their games. My ticket from the 2010 Orange Bowl, when I saw Iowa thrash Georgia Tech, hangs next to my 1970's Irish Pennant. There were times when I cheered for other teams, Texas A&M in football (I don't know why), The Washington Huskies in football (While I was in college), and North Carolina in Basketball (I still have a soft spot for the tar heels for a personal reason). I now expect to become a VCU basketball fan for the duration of my time in Graduate school and a fan of whomever when I get my PHD, but I will always bleed black and gold and be covered in blue and gold blaring the fight song. I am a fan.
Last night my Irish, #5 in the country, probably #4 or #3 by tonight, were in a battle of epic proportions, Everyone and their mother was predicting that the #8 Oklahoma Sooners were going to crush the Irish's hopes at a National Championship berth and throttling them at home in Norman. Of course, that didn't happen and the Irish made a statement to all of the football universe that they mean business by putting a defensive display on the Sooners, winning 30-13. Manti Te'o played a magnificent game and once again showed why he should be a Heisman contender. The Irish won and made my night considering I stayed home instead of going to a very expensive Halloween Party. Yes, nice costumes, beautiful girls, and wonderful food is great, but watching the Irish is better. Needless to say I was a happy camper.
And why not. On top of the win, I hate the Oklahoma Sooners. This would come as a surprise to some considering that the head coach of the Sooners, Bob Stoops, was an all-american defensive back at Iowa in the early 80's. He was also a graduate assistant and coach for them under the legendary Hayden Fry. But that doesn't seem to matter to me. I still hate the Sooners. And why? Unsure. Perhaps I don't really like Oklahoma, perhaps I an envious of their success, or perhaps, much like the Yankees, I hate it when big power stomps all over the little guys. The latter answer is the correct one, but then again I am a hypocrite because I love the Irish. Meh, so be it.
So why am I writing this article? Why should you care what sports teams I follow? You shouldn't, by the way. So then what is my reason? It's to say that I hate the Sooners. But I hate the Sooners the football organization at the school. I don't hate the players. I don't like Stoops but I certainly don't hate him. But then why the absolutes. Why do I say that I hate them, I don't even know them. Where is the love of the game, the players? Isn't College Football, in the end, just a game.
College Football is just a game. I was reminded of this a few hours before the Irish were set to take the field. In happened in an SEC conference game, in the state of South Carolina. And it happened to a young man with a bright future, Marcus Lattimore.
If you didn't watch the game, here are the details. #13 South Carolina was at home against an unranked Tennessee Volunteers team. South Carolina would eventually go on to win the game 38-35, but in the second quarter South Carolina was driving with a 21-14 lead. Lattimore, who some experts had considered to be the best running back in the country two years ago was back from a season ending leg injury during his sophomore year. He got the handoff and then was hit, helmet to knee, and flipped over. The image of his knee and leg snapping back and then slamming into the ground is horrific. The leg bends in a way that I have never seen a human body part move. As soon as I saw it happen I likened the incident, as so many other analysts have, to the Willis McGahee injury from the '03 National Championship game in which he tore his ACL, PCL, and MCL. Lattimore lay on the ground in what can only be described as a massive amount of pain as numerous trainers rushed to his aide.
Now before I go on, I would like to briefly describe the character of this "jock" football star. It is extraordinary. "Just an unbelievable kid. You'd think with this much publicity and hype, his head would've blown up and he wouldn't look at you. But no, he's not that way." This quote comes from his head High School Coach, Chris Miller at Byrnes High School. Lattimore was an incredibly well sought after recruit. In four years he had nearly 8,000 yards, 104 touchdowns, and three class 4A State Championships in the state of South Carolina. He was also named the Gatorade High School Player of the Year…twice. With this much talent one would expect football to be his life, but in high school he had a 3.24 gpa (close to mine(, signed autographs for all the kids, spoke at elementary schools, and stayed after most practices to pick up trash. His local town called him, "a clean-cut, clear-eyed, hometown hero." In college, his game has improved. His true freshman year he was named the NCAA Freshman of the year after 1200 yards rushing/400 receiving with 19 total touchdowns. Before his season ending injury in October of last year he already has 11 total touchdowns and had 10 so far this year. And in college, his community service record is unmatched by his team. He speaks at local youth groups and churches and continues to work hard in school majoring in Public Health. All around the type of guy we all hope our sons to grow up to be.
And so he lay there on the ground, helpless, probably searching through the pain back to his knee injury of only just a year before. And then a remarkable thing happened. Not necessarily for Lattimore who ended up being carted off the field, but for everyone on that field, in that stadium, watching on tv. The Tennessee defensive surrounded him, then the entire South Carolina team and bench, and then the majority of the Tennessee team. It was a moment of silent solidarity for a fallen teammate, for a fallen brother. As he was carted off the field the stands gave him a standing ovation.
Today the news out of SC is that Lattimore has suffered a dislocated knee and significant ligament damage, but Coach Spurrier already expects that with a fair amount of rehab that this is not a career ending injury.
I hope and pray for Lattimore and his family, but what I find most significant about this incident is the comradery between the teams on the field for a fallen teammate/foe. We live in interesting times to say the least. When things like Bounty-gate are occurring, when players are intentionally trying to hurt one another, when the college game is turning/has turned into a business and not a game, when college students now come with price tags, it is amazing to see this kind of kinship. And not at the end of the game, when the obligatory handshake occurs, but in the middle, when these two sides are going to "war."
I love football. I will always love football and to a certain extent I believe that some of the new "rules" instituted for player safety are hurting the game. I mean, it is a game where hurting people may not be the intention, but it is the instrument for success. But in moments like this I realize what we are really doing here. College Football is fun and when the Irish lose I get upset, as my friends can attest, sometimes too upset, but it's just a game. And these are just kids. 18-22 year old kids. Playing with all their heart and souls out their on the field. They are kids. Young Adults just trying to find themselves. And so when we start to pay them, when the gambling on games gets so large, when the games become more than just an event, we lose ourselves, they lose themselves. I applaud Tennessee and South Carolina, not because they are football teams, but because they showed something very rare on a football field. Humanity.
Maybe I don't hate the Sooners. I still don't like them.
"Always Believe"
To see the hit and the teams afterwards: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywemwRy2PXM
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