College Football? Why Don't You Get It?

Sorry I've been gone sooo long. Sometimes LIFE gets in the way.

I was talking to a New Yorker the other day. He was coming out of his pants excited about the upcoming football season. Growin' up in Texas where football is a seven day a week religion not just a Sunday morning commitment, I understood his excitement. Trying to be cordial I asked him which team he rooted for and he barked, "The ___ New York ___ Giants, of course..." He added the typical east coast linguistic flavor to his response which I chose to edit out. He rambled on, but I quit listening (seems the Giants have built a new stadium). He didn't ask me anything about my football preferences and I'm glad he didn't. He just wouldn't understand. I know these things only cuz I've been down that road before and it is a long, bumpy road filled with Volkswagen-sized potholes. Not good traveling.

The brief conversation got me thinking.

I know New Yorkers think their five boroughs make up the center of the universe. And to some degree, their arguments are understandable. Gotham boasts world class culture, cuisine and diversity. But one is remiss to think New York is the cat's pajamas when it comes to sports. Yes, they have the Yankees who have won something like 35 out of the 105 or so World Series. They also have the Mets, Knicks, Nets, Jets and the ___ New York ___ Giants. They also have one leg of horse racing's Triple Crown in the Belmont as well as the world's largest tennis tournament in the US Open. One may think I have presented a great argument for Gotham City. Well, you are wrong.

Did you know...the 11 largest stadiums in the country were built specifically for college football and account for 11 of the world's largest 18 stadiums. Did you know every Saturday from September through December these eleven behemoths are filled to the rafters with rabid college football fans.

Did you know...approximately 975,000 fans attend NFL games each week while more than 2,100,000 witness college football firsthand every single weekend. That's 2.1 million folks; 2.5 times the NFL.

Have you ever been to a Texas/Oklahoma game in Dallas during the State Fair? Or the Army/Navy game? Or the Michigan/Ohio State game at the end of the season? I have. I have also been to a Cowboy/Redskin game and a Cowboy/Giant game when the teams were great and guess what...there is no comparison. Not even close. Compare the Kentucky Derby with a three furlong quarter horse race and you'll begin to see what I'm talking about. The energy, fan participation and pageantry of a college football game rivals the NFL playoffs every single weekend. It's not even close.

New York will never understand.

Enjoy the football season.

Al, the Travel Valet