The Natty
Victors!
If it was not clear from the some previous posts, I’m a Michigan Football fan.
I waited a couple of weeks after the team won the national championship to evaluate my feelings and they haven’t changed. It was glorious. Being actually in attendance made it that much better.
Watching on TV is great in that you have a better view, have commentary, know what is going on and can pause and watch at your leisure. But being in a crowd that is charged with energy and enthusiasm is an uplifting emotional experience you can’t get on TV as a fan.
I was in Houston by a fortuitous happenstance and decided to get tickets on the Saturday before the game…on StubHub. At that moment I understood what it was like to be a Swiftie. Tickets were pretty hot and pricey and even though some folks told me I got a “deal” it still seemed pretty steep compared to how I live the rest of my life.
(Side note: Houston was actually a pretty fun town and a post will follow to discuss the fine Houston drinking establishments.)
The experience felt great at the time and it still does so 2 weeks later.
I was also actually fortunate enough to be in attendance in 1998 when Michigan won the Rose Bowl to win the 1997 national title. It was also by luck as I had not planned on going but someone gave me tickets a few weeks before the game.
A friend told me I now have to attend every Michigan title game from now on for purposes of luck. At this rate it will be another 25 years so I need to savor this one.
Rainy game day in Houston - luckily the stadium has a roof
The Vibe
One of the great things about being in college was that you were surrounded by a bunch of people who were doing the same thing that you were doing and interested in the same things. It was very easy to relate to everyone around you and make friends.
That’s what this game was like. I had a single ticket and sat by myself (I had a buddy at the game who sat in the next section so I wasn’t completely alone at the game). Still, everyone in the section felt a need to introduce themselves and wanted to address you by name. There was a pre-acceptance of who you were because you were a fan. I was glad I paid $100 more to be in the Michigan section. I’d never been hugged by more strangers in my life.
Being with the fans was very freeing. I live my life in a pretty reserved manner but being able to be an unfettered fan amongst my people was a lot of fun. I could act like a 10 year old because everyone else was just as into it and crazy. Some woman next to me was detailing the injury history of the players. This is a knowledgeable fanbase.
Some lady was going to the concessions during a break and asked people if they needed anything - she was buying. So, she was paying Vegas level prices for strangers in her section because - hey - we are all Michigan family!
The crowd started loud. It became louder as the Wolverines raced out to a 14-0 lead in the 1st quarter. Then for a couple of quarters the crowd had a quieter nervous energy as the game became a slog and Washington closed the point differential. In the 4th quarter, the crowd went crazy again as Michigan pulled away, closed out the game, and celebrated on the field.
They say losing hurts more than winning feels good. In a way this was true as I think in general the fanbase felt a huge relief more than joy (although there was plenty of joy). Lots of emotional fans, some grown men with tears. More than anything, I think this was a release from suffering for the fanbase.
A few years ago, someone wrote this on Mgoblog: “The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can attain.” Well, I guess that sorrow cut pretty deep for many years.
Did I mention the Vegas prices? The irony was that they sold these colorful drinks in opaque cups. I just stuck to the cheaper beers.
Post Game
Houston was probably lucky that these are probably two of the most civil fan bases that you could assemble in the city. Fans from both sides were engaging and every Washington fan I spoke to was extremely friendly and there was no true trash talking - maybe just some friendly ribbing.
Leaving town the next day, Washington fans, upon seeing my Michigan cap, would say to me “Hey - congrats on the win” and I’m like “Really???” because there is a part of me that would have felt “You all should f*** off and die!” if the situation was reversed but Washington folks were extremely gracious and polite.
Houston Hobby Airport could have been Ann Arbor Airport for all the Maize and Blue that you saw at the gates that day. The euphoria of victory still lingered. People would still “Go Blue!” you walking by (even when connecting on a flight in Denver) and fist bump you while walking by your aisle on the plane.
Things had gone so well for the week between lucking into being in Houston for the game, the general Houston experience, and the win at the game, I felt a little apprehensive flying home by the window seat on a Boeing 737 thinking that maybe karma wanted some retribution to even things out.
Aftermath
It’s silly that I felt like I wanted to be a better person after the game. It’s just sports but it has the power to connect people.
I met one of my best friends from college that I had not seen in more than a decade at the game and we both were embarrassed a bit at our absence to each other over the years and decided that we can be better people.
There were actually many people that I had not spoken to for a long time that texted me and this became a reason (or excuse) to re-connect.
Random people in my life texted me congratulatory messages because they knew I was a fan.
I think being cynical is often a self-defense mechanism so that we don’t get hurt by things we would like to care about. I think that condition gets worse as you get older and carry more scars from life. When something like this happens, it makes me want to be less cynical. Maybe it’s ok to open up to the world because sometimes maybe the world won’t always kick you in the nuts.
Our refrain from the years of losing and emotional gut punches from being Michigan fans was “Why can’t we have nice things?”
Well, maybe we can have nice things.
Go Blue and Keep Limin’.
Saved some of the celebratory confetti