Wright Thompson's finest work ever

[Simon_Cowbell]

I'm not usually a huge Wright Thompson fan myself. Usually kind of just bores me after a while, so I can understand how many wouldn't enjoy this piece.

But I'd wager that those of us that have been directly involved with being a passionate fan of Southern college football would be the ones that would enjoy this piece more. Yes it was a little heavy on the sap, but I smiled through the whole thing and remembered my own similar stories. I think that's what a writer like Thompson is all about: Putting you in the story with his prose. It's not enough for me to just want to read a long piece like this, I need to FEEL it too. That's why, I'd think, most outside of the football south just wouldn't enjoy this as much.

Interesting debate over audience and how to impact them though.

Oh, and you're right, this doesn't come anywhere near that Father's Day piece. Not sure much of anything could...

Oh, bp.

I have no doubt that legions from Lynchburg and surrounding areas would eat that up.

No doubt at all.

 

[FishHack76]

But I'd wager that those of us that have been directly involved with being a passionate fan of Southern college football would be the ones that would enjoy this piece more. Yes it was a little heavy on the sap, but I smiled through the whole thing and remembered my own similar stories.

I agree that this is probably for a limited audience and I agree this wasn't nearly as good as the Father's Day story. My brother went to Ole Miss. I also grew up in the South so it resonated with me obviously more. Plus, northerners - with a few exceptions - don't have the same experience or passion (misguided though it can be) when it comes to college football. I've been to Ole Miss games and to Illinois, Northwestern and Missouri games. The Grove is a different planet in comparison. I know someone will come on here and say Michigan or Wisconsin or Ohio State has that. The difference is they're winning programs. With the exception of that Cotton Bowl win a couple years ago, Ole Miss hasn't won squat, yet the school has a full house for SEC games. It's easy to hype yourself up when a team is going to win. It's hard to ring those f-----' POS cowbells at Miss. State when you're team is going to get thrashed by LSU.
You may scoff at the story on the Georgia team beating a 4-6 Michigan team, and I don't think the implications are necessarily Civil War or whatever.
I think it's more being putdown by northerners, Yankees or whatever for just the way you talk. That you also couldn't possibly be smart with that accent or that you're part of a shameful past just by being from the South when you had nothing to do with it.
I've since moved away from there, but I can tell you where the attitude comes from in my mind.

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

Just FYI --
Isn't that the last time Georgia played a regular season game against anyone outside of the South?

 

[slappy4428]

But I'd wager that those of us that have been directly involved with being a passionate fan of Southern college football would be the ones that would enjoy this piece more. Yes it was a little heavy on the sap, but I smiled through the whole thing and remembered my own similar stories.

I agree that this is probably for a limited audience and I agree this wasn't nearly as good as the Father's Day story. My brother went to Ole Miss. I also grew up in the South so it resonated with me obviously more. Plus, northerners - with a few exceptions - don't have the same experience or passion (misguided though it can be) when it comes to college football. I've been to Ole Miss games and to Illinois, Northwestern and Missouri games. The Grove is a different planet in comparison. I know someone will come on here and say Michigan or Wisconsin or Ohio State has that. The difference is they're winning programs. With the exception of that Cotton Bowl win a couple years ago, Ole Miss hasn't won squat, yet the school has a full house for SEC games. It's easy to hype yourself up when a team is going to win. It's hard to ring those f-----' POS cowbells at Miss. State when you're team is going to get thrashed by LSU.
You may scoff at the story on the Georgia team beating a 4-6 Michigan team, and I don't think the implications are necessarily Civil War or whatever.
I think it's more being putdown by northerners, Yankees or whatever for just the way you talk. That you also couldn't possibly be smart with that accent or that you're part of a shameful past just by being from the South when you had nothing to do with it.
I've since moved away from there, but I can tell you where the attitude comes from in my mind.

Or, it could be the fact that those outside the SEC don't share in the fawning spoogefest -- whether its the Big 10, Big East, ACC, Pac-10, Big 11... other schools have tradition too; the SEC owns no copyright. Truth be told, the best college footbal traditions can usually be found at D3 schools.
Or, it could be an overwritten piece targeted at one, and only one, segment of a college football audience.
Truth be told, it's the first thing of Wright Thompson's I've ever read. Based on this, others who have commented about him needing editing are right. Am sure he's a talented writer, consensus here is he is just that. This piece was wordy and sappy.
Period.

And Fens, that answer to your question is yes, sad to say. The last time Georgia played a regular-season game outside the south was that game in 1965, unless you consider Houston (1967) and/or Roanoke (1966) not to be South. Other than that, the time before that game in Ann ARbor was 1960 at USC.
http://admin.xosn.com/attachments1/1566.pdf?SPSID=46724&SPID=3571&DB_OEM_ID=8800

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I had trouble getting through it...

It's nowhere close to his best work... How anyone could put this work in the same class as his Father's Day story is beyond me.

 

[FishHack76]

Truth be told, the best college footbal traditions can usually be found at D3 schools.

I'm just curious if you could elaborate on this. I've covered quite a few Division III games. Outside of Mount Union and the Battle for the Monon Bell, I don't really know of anything like that in D3. I was just curious.

 

[slappy4428]

Truth be told, the best college footbal traditions can usually be found at D3 schools.

I'm just curious if you could elaborate on this. I've covered quite a few Division III games. Outside of Mount Union and the Battle for the Monon Bell, I don't really know of anything like that in D3. I was just curious.

I guess I was thinking more of generalities; small schools in small towns that are lucky to get 2,000 people at the game, but they tailgate rain or shine because of their loyalty to a small school.
Old, small cool looking stadiums kinda thing.
When I went to college, a mid-major D1, there was a D3 school next door. And within a driver/3-wood of the bigger stadium was the D3's stadium -- set into a hillside, wrought iron fence around it with brick/ivy covered pillars... probably never more than 3,000 people went to their games. But they tailgated and always seemed to get into the spirit of it more
A whole lot of little things that add up to more than the sum of the parts, as opposed to some (emphasis on some) rituals at larger schools that have become less ritual and more hype.
Make sense?

 

[Appgrad05]

I enjoyed the piece, because it resonated with me as a southern football fan. If you take this as an ode, which it is, it is enjoyable. Odes generally do not hit at the underbelly of things, however.

 

[WaylonJennings]

I think what you're getting at is it's less commercialized.

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

Of my 10 favorite college football experiences, two of them are a Furman-Ga. Southern game I saw in Greenville a while back, and Steve McNair's last home game at Alcorn.
And the food at the various Alcorn tailgates was dazzling.

 

[Bill Brasky]

I liked it...but I'm an SEC fanboy loooser

 

[Jersey_Guy]

Or, it could be the fact that those outside the SEC don't share in the fawning spoogefest ...

Bravo, Slap

 

[spaceman]

mmmmmmm, sweet tea

 

[I Like HD]

I gave up after the first section.

This was certainly not Wright's best work. I can see how die-hard SEC fans would eat it up, but this topic has been done so many times it was tough to appreciate.

Yea, I get it. People in the SEC like football, beer and fattening foods. But so do Big 12, Big 10 and Pac 10 fans. This topic isn't worth 25 national stories a year.

 

[playthrough]

Haven't read the story, but yeah this concept seems to gain steam every year. Sports radio puts fuel on the fire with endless discussions on which conference is better.

 

[HejiraHenry]

Read like a book proposal.

 

[Double Down]

People who think the world revolves around SEC football = People who think the world revolves around Yankess/Red Sox.

 

[30]

Have to agree with the folks who says he needs an editor. Any stadium likened to a cathedral, the billion-and-18 uses of the word "I", so many other cliches... Hey, the guy can write, I'll admit. But he needs that Holly Lawton-led KC Star copy desk. Man, they really made him a star. Sometimes, as Andy Ricter, David Lee Roth and Art Garfunkel will tell you, going it alone is tough.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

It's one of those places that seems as if it has been there forever, like the planets, or Styrofoam. I order a pimento cheeseburger. The Kingsman's famous for these gobs of cholesterol-laden goodness. They're messier than a small-town divorce.

Can't say that's not a good line though...

Wow, it's Peter King meets Richard Russo!

 

[Boom_70]

Pretty standard Southern football fair. - mentions town square, heat, blonds. greasy spoon dinner. failed to mention train whistles, old pick up trucks and state troopers with big hats guarding the head coach.