Awhile ago in class, we discussed why football has such a big following. There are many reasons, and as we discussed in class and in Chapter 6, football has the biggest following at the college level. Some of the topics that came up in class were that football has become a sort of tradition for families. For the most part, football games are placed once a week, so there would be a lot of build up for that week’s game. The games would be on a Saturday, which is the end of the week and people don’t have to worry about going to work the next day. Because of this people were able to tailgate.
Tailgating has become almost as big, if not bigger, than the actual playing of the game. It’s a way for friends, family, or members of the community to gather around a grill of food and a cooler of beer and talk about sports. There is actually a group called the American Tailgater Association that claims the first tailgating happened in 1869, at the first football game between Princeton and Rutgers.
According to Rader, football has also had a positive effect on the bonding of diverse people. In the late nineteenth century extra-curricular activities became the center of the college experience. School newspapers became a medium for getting the students involved in going to the games and advocating having school spirit. With the growth of importance of the game it became a great time for alumni to come back and get connected with the school and the community.
Some other things that add to the experience of a football game are the halftime performances and shows, the songs from the band, the cheerleaders and dancers, and the announcers. Football has really done a great job of encompassing all of the aspects of good entertainment, but do all the entertainment aspects overshadow the game?
I will be honest; I am not the biggest fan of football. I think that it is nice to watch every once and a while. I have been to a few OSU games and I really did feel part of a community. It was weird how accepting or pissed off people are just because of a jersey you wear… but overall I feel like football makes people feel that they are a part of something bigger than themselves; and that is why we all watch.
Signing off today with one of Chris Berman's nickname's; even though it is a play on words of baseball player Eddie Murray, it also is a play on words from lyrics from the Dave Matthews Band song Trippin' Billies:
Eddie "eat, drink and be" Murray
Kara,
ReplyDeleteFootball has become quite the popular sport in the U.S. Every week fans are looking for the marque match ups to watch on television. Fans line up hours before the game to tailgate and hang out with some of the most passionate fans in sports. There is some sort of thrill and chill in the air when people sense football season.
The Rader textbook fails to mention the fantasy football leagues this sport has created. People get really into the fantasy leagues as wagers are even put down. I believe you can buy fantasy packages to help make sure your team is successful. Even work pools are on employees minds during the week. Football has replaced the leisure time people once had during the war era. While we are on the subject, I am sure Vegas made a nice profit from football bets.
The way football has involved in the communities is incredible. This sport has only progressed with joining cultures and fans together. For one day of the week, people who may not be familiar with you, become your friend as you cheer the same team on.
Kara, I agree with you that football is so big because of other reasons than just the game it self. Tailgating is a huge aspect of the games. If there was not tailgating for out games here I probably would never go to any of our games. I think tailgating helps people get in the mood for the game. Everyone is excited for the game and that rubs off on other people. I think there would be a lot less of attendance at games if there were to be no tailgating at games.
ReplyDeleteI like that football has the build up till the end of the week to watch the games. I am a Bears fan and I think that if there were a couple games a week I would not be as excited about the games. Since we are in Ohio there are not that many bears fans, but the ones I do know we always stick together to watch the games. Football really does bring people closer if you are rooting for the same team.
I like football so much more than other sports because there are a lot less games played. For example Baseball is way to long and the season gets so boring. Football has the right idea of only having one game a week and having a shorter season.
Kara, I agree with you that football is so big because of other reasons than just the game it self. Tailgating is a huge aspect of the games. If there was not tailgating for out games here I probably would never go to any of our games. I think tailgating helps people get in the mood for the game. Everyone is excited for the game and that rubs off on other people. I think there would be a lot less of attendance at games if there were to be no tailgating at games.
ReplyDeleteI like that football has the build up till the end of the week to watch the games. I am a Bears fan and I think that if there were a couple games a week I would not be as excited about the games. Since we are in Ohio there are not that many bears fans, but the ones I do know we always stick together to watch the games. Football really does bring people closer if you are rooting for the same team.
I like football so much more than other sports because there are a lot less games played. For example Baseball is way to long and the season gets so boring. Football has the right idea of only having one game a week and having a shorter season.
Kara, I do feel football does bring us together and it is a great sport for that. I am from Columbus and the sense of being apart of the community always comes out on Saturday morning. Everyone in the Columbus area is wearing scarlet and grey, purchasing Ohio state cupcakes and shouting OH- IO. Not only do they feel this way on Saturdays but it also carries on to Sunday mornings. I once had a pastor joke in the middle of service “ you can tell the buckeyes lost yesterday” this was because everyone was more quite and had that look of depression on their faces. I also like what you put about tailgating because that also brings a sense of involvement. Many people go down to The Shoe for the game but most don’t have a ticket. The fans just want to feel involved and it is also a way to get to know other fans. If there was no football in Columbus the town would be very different.
ReplyDeleteNice post on the popularity of football. I tried to google the American Tailgater's Association to find the info you shared about its history dating back to 1869. I would like to share that link in future classes, so if you could post it here, that would be great.
ReplyDeleteDr. Spencer- I got that little piece of information from this website about tailgating: http://www.tailgatingsupply.net/page1.html
ReplyDeleteIt looks like an alright site as far as credibility. However, when I tried to cross check and verify the information I could not find it on the American Tailgater's Association page. The Tailgating Supply site gives a little bit of information on why tailgating started, how, and how tailgating has changed in today’s sports world.
Kara,
ReplyDeleteI agree that football does bring us together. Going to football games in high school and college I had the biggest feelings of school spirit. I dont think that I have been lucky enough to experience that outside of attending football games.
Football really does dominate in popularity. I liked that you talked about tailgating because it brings fans together even if they are not going to the game.