Looking back at my high school football team, I remember how bad they were and how everybody expected them to lose. When they won, it was party time, and when they lost, it was natural and OK with everyone. The stands were full of band parents and band supporters who left after halftime because the team was expected to lose. This year, they have started to win, and everybody is extremely surprised and wants to go to the games to see the team and the band, instead of just the band. They won their first game, and everybody regarded it as a fluke. Then they lost their second game, and everybody thought the season was back on its losing track. After that game, they surprised everyone by winning their next game, and they have kept their winning streak going. Their record is now 6-1.
This year, I started coming to MSU, and the football team was good, and everybody in the student body and faculty seemed to be behind them 100 percent. After their first loss, I noticed that a few people wavered in their faith in the Bulldogs. Those who stayed with them looked at it like a fluke and ignored it, saying, “We’ll do better next game,” or “The other teams are doing worse.”
After their second loss, I noticed a dramatic decrease in the number of Bulldog supporters and fans. Those that stopped supporting the team said things like, “The team needs to learn how to play football,” and “Do you want my tickets?” Previous supporters stopped realizing that the Bulldogs once had a winning season.
After the third loss, my English composition teacher separated the class into groups and gave each group a cause and effect question. Ironically, my group was given the question, “What are the main causes for the past three MSU losses?” I am not going to write some of the answers that I received because it would offend some people, but I heard, “The whole team is horrible,” and “The quarterback needs to learn how to throw a football.” I’m saddened to think that so many of the Bulldogs’ biggest fans are now their worst enemies and that they would trash the memory of the team’s past winning streaks.
When I look at the Bulldogs, I see a team that has lost some of its games but has a history of winning. I do not care if they win or lose, but if they play hard, that is all that matters. I will support the team through thick and thin and will always tell my uncles (Alabama fans) that MSU will win their next game. I think that the fans that are still supporting the Bulldogs will probably agree with me.
When I look back at my old high school team and see them winning, I am still in shock that they are winning in the first place, but I am saddened to think of how their fans will react if they lose. If college football and its fans are any example, then everybody will lose faith in my high school team, too, if they lose.
-Joey Fritz