Ups & Downs Of Sports Fans

I have been a Gamecock fan for as long as I care to remember. Growing up here in Columbia, too far from the Atlante Falcons of Washington Redskins to be a big pro football fan, and smack in the middle of college football every fall. Twenty years ago, th '84 Gamecocks were the biggest thing going - ranked as high as #2 before losing to Navy (Navy?!?) and finishing the year 10-2, still the best year ever at the school. This year - well, we lost to Ole Miss today, rescuing defeat from the jaws of victory with 1:02 left in the game and in spite of a 16.5 point line at kickoff. We've got a good shot at still getting bowl eligible, but my call is that a 6-5 record won't cut it to come out the SEC this year.

I could write something profound here about how all the people in the stands screaming and yelling today will probably be silent and nodding their heads in church tomorrow - if they go at all, not having the kind of whole-hearted energy that was expended in the stadium where their hearts' true worship might've been shown. But I won't. Instead, I'll go to church tomorrow - and pray that every praise song and every sermon's metaphor and every hand lifted in praise will get the grace and attention of heaven, and that we will give our all on every play and expect to be victorious and change the world with every call from the sideline. (I know - that might be a cheesier metaphor than the other, but what do you expect? We lost, dang it).