Good for Mizzou

Good for Mizzou. Those are honestly words I never thought I would say in my lifetime. As a Husker fan, there is no love lost between our two programs. There have been contentious situations with fans, some of them ending less than sportsmanlike.

But there are things much more important. Today, Missouri's President Tim Wolfe and Chancellor announced their resignations following months of a lackluster, almost non-response to student complaints of racism. The protest began earlier this fall, culminating a week ago with a hunger strike by Jonathan Butler, a black graduate student, and the announcement that Missouri's black football players, with full support from their coaching staff and teammates, would not practice or participate in any games until Wolfe stepped down.

The cynic in me believes that had the football team not taken that step, Butler would probably be hospitalized as a result of his hunger strike, and the status quo would remain the same. Things weren't moving forward in terms of resolving the issues. Wolfe basically said that "systemic oppression just meant you didn't think you were getting the same opportunities," an incredibly tone deaf sentiment to the very real oppression that happens to individuals every single day based on nothing more than skin color. Media coverage was also basically non-existent, until the team made their announcement. Suddenly, everyone knew about Mizzou.

Slate's Jessica Huseman came to a similar conclusion in her article today, "Should It Really Take a Football Team to Force Change on Campus?" She discusses the fact that the issues should have been resolved long before the team became involved, and seemed a little surprised, it seemed to me, that it would take a football team to change things.

It's not that surprising, though. Missouri stood to lose one million dollars if the team forfeited on Saturday. Money still rules the world, and it's a lesson the Civil Rights leaders of the 1950s and 60s knew well. The Montgomery Bus Boycotts worked because they disrupted the economics of the system. Find the people to protest, and cause people to lose the almighty dollar, and things get changed.

We have a long way to go in this country before we are truly equal, and there are many more battles to be fought. I hate that it takes such crude steps for people to do what is right. But in this case, it worked, and hopefully with a new administration, progress can begin at the school.

So, good for you, Mizzou. You've made the nation proud.

Fandom

Anyone who knows me knows my love of football. I can easily waste a Saturday and Sunday watching, even if my Huskers or Saints aren't playing (that may be a reason some of those to do lists are harder to accomplish during the fall...hmmm).

Lately, though, there has been a lot of chatter about "true" fans versus "fair weather" fans making the rounds on social media. These conversations seem to turn normally logical people into raving maniacs, as the "true" fans try to disparage those they deem unworthy of being fans.

Here's my take:

If you consistently root for your team, win or lose, you're a true fan. If you constructively criticize the coaching staff, administration, or players for obviously poor play or strategy because you want to see the team get better, you're still a true fan. You can still love something and see its flaws. It doesn't mean you love it any less. 

If you only cheer for a team when they are winning and refuse to support them during the down times, then you're a fair weather fan. If you only care how a team does because of your fantasy team, you may be a fair weather fan.

And if you constantly run down other fans and call them fair weather fans because they dare criticize your team/coach, then maybe you need something else to do with your time. Root for your team, enjoy their success, commiserate with their losses, and know that other fans feel the same. They just may not express it in the same way you do.

But...if you go on social media and rip college kids or send them death threats, you're not a fan at all. You're just an asshole.

Fair Warning: It's Football Season

Or it will be, officially, in a few weeks. I live for football season. While it is bittersweet--football means the end of summer, and thus, the beginning of a new school year--there's nothing like watching my teams on the gridiron again.

Nebraska Cornhuskers. New Orleans Saints. On Saturday I bleed scarlet and cream with my Nebraska family and friends. On Sunday, my husband and I join (albeit remotely right now) the black and gold Who Dat Nation. I watch pre-game shows. Postgame. (Who the heck decided it's a good idea to interview coaches as they're running off the field at halftime, by the way? Ridiculous.) I yell at the tv, and though I've never thrown anything, I have been known to swear. Loudly. I tweet with fellow Saints fans during the game. I read stats and watch interviews during the week. I might be obsessed--ok, I am.

Oh, I'm female? I can't really know about a sport I haven't played? Sorry, that argument doesn't hold water anymore. Women make up almost 50% of the NFL's viewership right now, and I can tell you, those women are watching for the game, not for the player with the best tight end. Especially the Who Dat Divas. You don't mess with those women--they know their football! (The same can be said of women Husker fans--we've been raised on it!)

So, if I bow out of something this fall, it's nothing personal. I have a game to watch. You're always welcome to join me--but you've been warned!