A Felony for Flag Planting? College Football Fans Show Their Passion
I’m going to be honest with you; two weeks ago, I was worried.
The fire isn’t there. The passion, the animosity, the unholy hatred between Ohio State and Michigan… a lot felt lost.
Remember, this was after Michigan cruised into Columbus, dominated with their third-string quarterback, and left yet again with a win. Ryan Day’s team looked soft. Ohio State benefited from the expanded CFP, got into the playoffs anyway, and Day kept his job.
“Did the expanded CFP make fans soft?” I kept asking myself.
But then came the news. Ohio State Representative Josh Williams introduced a bill that would make planting a field goal post at Ohio Stadium a felony! A felony!
Now, let’s be clear. It was a ridiculous bill, an absurd idea.
And I love it.
Because the internet reacted in its finest form: absolute pandemonium.
Michigan fans lost their minds. Ohio State supporters went ballistic. Fans from across the country were chiming in, and let me tell you, they weren’t holding back. The kind of pronouncements we used to hear on a weekly basis, filled with bravado and primal expletives, were flying again. It was beautiful, like seeing an old friend resurface after witnessing a near-death experience.
Fans still want to break my legs. That’s how I know college football is healthy.
The threats have been relentless, the insults inventive.
Some classic examples?
“OMG, you’re soooooo soft. You’re a pussy. You’re weak. Charmin soft. Cuck.”
“Blah, blah, blah. Go ahead, let me have it: [email protected]”
Delicious!
The Bill Williams tweet elicited more visceral reactions in 24 hours than I’ve seen in years. My heart is full. The rivalry is alive and well. The downturns I’m witnessing in college football because of soft CFP protocols and the dilution of weeks full of _real_ meaning haven’t extinguished the deepest flames.
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People talk about how technology and social media are ruining everything, driving away the authenticity, the emotion.
This episode proves them wrong.
Sure, there’s plenty of keyboard warrior nonsense out there.
But amidst the digital clamor, something vibrant and real emerges: the unbridled passion of college football fanatics. And that’s a beautiful thing to behold.
We need bills like this, absurdities that shake things up, ignite the windmills of passion back into a full spin. I’d like to thank Rep. Williams, whatever his thought process may have been, from the bottom of my heart for reminding me that the heart of college football beats on.
