The BCS Championship Game was last night with Alabama defeating LSU. I wasn’t watching. I’m not a college sports fan.*
I think some of it has to do with where I grew up. Yes, it’s the City of Champions but that didn’t start until February 2002 with the Patriots. I was in my junior year of high school by then so it doesn’t explain my entire childhood. The issue is that while New England does have an extremely high number of colleges, no one would consider it “collegiate”. Our biggest school is Boston College; not quite up there with Michigan or Ohio State. BC has a football/basketball presence and UConn is a big time basketball school but they’re practically New York. Holy Cross is fun to root for when they make it into the NCAA Tournament but the only proven consistent college sport in the Northeast is hockey. BC, BU, UNH, UMaine, Vermont. All top teams and all based locally. That’s what makes the Beanpot the only legit college sporting event in the area.
In lieu of the all-encompassing college programs we have the Red Sox (MLB), Patriots (NFL), Celtics (NBA), Bruins (NHL), Revolution (MLS), Cannons (MLL), Breakers (WPS) and more. So unlike someone growing up in Lincoln, Nebraska, I have much more to root for than just the Cornhuskers.
But I think timing plays a part too. I worked with a guy who was a huge fan of University of Miami football. Not the school, or their other sports, just the football team. But when he was growing up they were one of the top programs in the nation. They had a huge number of their student-athletes turning pro and becoming superstars. So I can see where that may have played a part in him becoming interested in them. But he wasn’t an NFL guy. He would root for those former Hurricanes but didn’t have his own team. And that’s the other truth… people are either a fan of college or pro and there is no overlap.
*March Madness withstanding. I don’t watch the college basketball season but the NCAA Tournament is a national pastime.
I cheer for UK Wildcats (when it isn't March Madness)but I fear the Hoosiers this year. (They beat Kentucky AND Ohio. They're unranked.)
ReplyDeleteI'd argue college basketball is the exception, not just March Madness-I think people enjoy it more than professional (I knew plenty of people who could not have cared less if there was an NBA lockout)-where you can somehow still find excitment in the professional versions of other sports.
My biggest issue with college basketball is that so many games are blowouts. No one enjoys watching Duke vs Hawaii or something equally imbalanced. Yet that's what most of their season is until the fun of the tournament.
ReplyDelete