Fanatics Pay the Bills -- Spectating is Big Business

As the day nears completion I realized in order to stay consistent I needed to knock out a blog. It’s on the calendar so it must get accomplished. This is not the only thing on the calendar it appears. I think college football has started from the looks of social media and television exposure. Next the NFL will begin in earnest. Not that anyone cares, I am pumped because I am going the MXGP at WW Ranch tomorrow. I will not explain because if you know, you know, and if you don’t you won’t care anyway. Everybody has their thing and mine is definitely not large men scrambling for a pig skin while others create wealth from the damage they enjoy giving themselves and the opponent. I do like pig skins but the pork rind variety. They can be plain, hot, even the salt and vinegar variety are tasty. Crispy, fatty, but hey no carbs.

Sorry, I digressed there. I don’t have a favorite team anymore. When I followed the sports world, I was a fan of FSU because my dad was a UM fan, I couldn’t be a UF fan because everyone else was. It is amazing how many people give money to an institution that they have never attended. Why, but that is for a different day. Peer pressure and coolness are amazing factors. I really liked Texas A&M, because they had this twelfth man thing where an actual walk on was on the kicking team, or something like that. I was young, it was a cool thing. They also had this amazing tradition before the Texas game and this ornate bonfire. Tragedy ended the bonfire and big money probably changed the other. The last team I like was University of Washington. I mean, you must be a bad ass to wear purple and gold. Plus, how cool would it be to tailgate on a boat before a game. I was young, it was cool to sit around and watch games, and I didn’t have other things I cared about.

As I sit here now I really couldn’t tell you anything substantial about the football world. I know UF played Michigan today and lost but I don’t know the score. I think Maryland beat Texas, a billion-dollar athletic program even in defeat, and my dad was frustrated because his beloved Apps were getting throttled by Georgia while I was on the phone with him. I think my father in law was excited for the potential of a great game tonight with FSU vs. Alabama. I understand the excitement and camaraderie. For years we went to multiple Bucs games and did the whole tailgate experience. I’ve been to the swamp and watched the Gator Getters’ do their thing with prospective players. I’ve experienced the joy of victory and the agony of defeat while freezing in Boone. Of course, I’ve experienced the same thing while sweating so much I made a puddle in the old sombrero at Tampa.

I guess my biggest issue with any of this is the time commitment over and over for weeks on end. Plus, how much does the average fan remember after consuming so many beverages there is no need for embalming? I jest, but seriously it is a great question. There are so many other things that I could do besides sit on a couch for several hours each weekend watching other people do stuff. I want to do not watch. Yes, I am going to a race tomorrow to spectate but it is a one-off event that will not happen again at this venue. Apples to oranges so don’t even go there. Why have we become spectators versus doers? Televisions are beautiful now, stadium food is much better than it used to be, but seriously, wouldn’t it be cooler to actually go do something you could control versus watching something that you cannot control no matter how much you drink or yell?

Just my two cents. Don’t worry I rarely miss the big events. With the advent of social media and 24- hour news I get to keep up with scores and stats. You all are awesome at putting your teams results up so if I can just find friends from each major team I am covered for the entire season. I enjoy the barbs towards your opponents, how when your team wins they are going all the way, and when they lose it’s not because they suck or got outplayed. There is always an excuse of some sort that is the cause. Sometimes teams just aren’t as good as you hope they are. Ask any Gator, Longhorn, or Mountaineer tonight.
Keep cheering, keep paying, and wear your team on your sleeve (I guess that fits in with keep paying). All of this is in jest because what I like gets so little press that I get a bit jealous with how easily you can view or attend your favorite thing. Maybe one day I can travel the Supercross circuit, Motocross circuit, or the IMSA circuit so I too can watch my favorite thing each time it happens. Congrats to those that won, there is always next week for those that were defeated, and keep posting pics of that amazing food you prepare for each of these events.