Column: The Way I See It; College basketball equals one wild ride
I just finished watching the Utah State basketball team’s trip to the NCAA tournament and … well, as much as I complained and yelled at the TV and those 20-plus turnovers, I really can’t fault the guys. After a crazy and exciting year like this, I can’t help but be glad that Aggie basketball exists the way that it does.
I’ve always been competitive about my sports. I’m a fiercely loyal fan and I’m reall y… mean … when I don’t like a team (just ask anyone I know who cheers for BYU). I cheer for Aggie football and basketball simply because those are the sports that I like (my dearest apologies to the hockey and soccer teams).
During the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday night, I was able to gloat over my sister, who goes to the University of Utah, even though she took all the fun out of by saying that they hadn’t been that good this year and she didn’t expect them to go anyway.
I hate it when people are all pragmatic and realistic when it comes to dealing with sports. It takes all the fun out of it.
I did have to endure some taunting from some relatives, who are Nevada alumni and fans, about the WAC Tournament. But I did get back at them by teaching their 3-year-old daughter to say “Go Aggies,” which she repeated every time I prompted her to do so, which just happened to be whenever her dad was in earshot (I’m such a brat).
Within minutes of the brackets being announced, my brother and sister had their picks rounded out, but my bracket was still blank, mostly because I stink at picking teams and because I tend to pick the ones I like rather than the ones who will actually win. If I put them down to win, I feel obligated to cheer for them and personally, cheering for teams such as Duke, Kansas, UConn and others has become quite the cliché. Besides, I hate it when people jump on the bandwagon.
The first weekend of the tournament is probably the best weekend for college sports. Any number of upsets is possible and it’s OK to cheer for the underdogs. There are more close calls and nail-biters than an episode of “24.” This year is especially satisfying since it’s the second year in a row that Syracuse was beaten out in the first round.
I love Utah State basketball. As astonishing it is that I’m putting this in print for the whole world to see, I love Utah State basketball fans. I love that we yell and scream and even sometimes curse at the other team because we are loyal fans and every loyal fan supports the team in their own way. It’s not about being embarrassing and showing off, it’s about the adrenalin rush and the love of the Aggie blue and fighting white. We may be rabid and scary to the weak of constitution, but that’s life at the good ol’ Spectrum.
To be perfectly honest, it would be weird and downright creepy if we acted calm at the games.
To the team, thanks for such a fun and crazy year. Thanks for putting it all out on the floor and giving it your all. Thanks for giving us an excuse to congregate in mass to paint our faces, don our game day shirts and go nuts. Thanks for letting us raise the roof with praises of where the sagebrush grows. To the seniors, good luck in future pursuits and thanks for the show. To the guys coming back next year, thanks for giving us something to look forward to.
And here’s hoping that somebody, somewhere will eventually beat J.J. Redick and the Blue Devils (hey, I can dream, can’t I?).
Chrissy Johnson can be contacted at chrijohn@cc.usu.edu.