Welcome sports fans to a brand new season of watching young men beat the snot out each other, and we have football!
Yes, it is the beginning of another year of high school football.
All kidding aside, I am glad it is football season because it means that the fans are coming.
I know a lot of people get worked up for their team of choice every year and I do not have a problem with that. In fact, I wish more people could come out and support the local teams, but that is not the point of this particular column.
I recently had a chance to catch up with a friend of mine who is “not from around these parts” as some would say, and as I explained that I am covering high school sports for a community newspaper, my friend said something that made a lot of sense.
Local high school fans are obsessed.
I am not going to agree and say that my friend is completely right, but you have to admit that you do things with a lot more spirit around here.
For example, take a look at the upcoming Jefferson-Commerce opening game. The two schools are less than fifteen minutes apart and socially there is a lot of interaction between the two communities. But, let the red and blue or black and gold take the field and people start baying for blood.
In fact I overheard just the last week how last year, two siblings, who are adults, would not talk to each other for about a month after the last encounter between the two schools.
Now that is dedication to your team. Of course it might also prove my friend’s point. Because it is not just football, but anytime the two schools face-off. The best way to describe it is simple small-town hate. When it is time Friday night to start the game, I am sure you will see a lot more of it at the Commerce field, as the support for each of the rivals will be out in full force.
Supporting rivalries is just one part of the overall community support for a team. The fact that there is a horde of people yelling for you to win and supporting your effort is a great thing for an athlete during any game. There are the types of fans including those who come out for just the “big” games, and then the die-hard, blood runs (insert school colors) ones. Both have a place in the stands; of course, one always seems more vocal than the other.
However, back on topic, are local fans more fanatical than those elsewhere in the world? I don’t think so. It seems that fans of soccer in other parts of the world deserve the title of most obsessed. Then there are the ones who make a scene just to get attention.
The streakers in Great Britain come to mind.
I cannot remember anyone streaking across the field at any of the games when I was in school or recently for that matter.
Are the local high school fans really more obsessed with their chosen teams than any other fan? Probably not, it might seem that way, but that is just an outside perspective.
What really matters is that this is your team, and no matter who they are competing against, they are still the best. You know it, and by the end of the game the other team and stand is going to know it too.
Justin Poole is a reporter for MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.
Contact him at justin@mainstreetnews.com.
