Let me put on my angry old man hat for a moment and rant about the youngins'.
I know, I know. Two weeks ago I wrote a satirical blog making fun of those who blame younger generations for everything, but the student attendance the last 2 home games has been abysmal.
Just putrid.
My memories of going to Nebraska games stretches to the early 2000s and I can never remember a game in which that many students were absent. Maybe a few times the upper 3-5 rows were empty but that was it. Now I recognize not everyone is as die-hard as me, nor should everyone be, but I've made some tough calls to make sure I haven't missed Husker games in my short time on Earth so the old "it was too cold and too early" excuse doesn't really fly for me. That being said, kudos to the students who actually did show up. It is very appreciated and any criticism levied at student fans does not apply to them.
Anyway semi-related story time. In 2010 I was a sophomore in high school and #14 Nebraska was traveling to Stillwater Oklahoma to play undefeated #17 Oklahoma State. I was psyched out of my mind in nervous anticipation.
So naturally my girlfriend at the time wanted me to come over and hang out during the game. We had begun dating at the tail end of the previous year and in that time she knew fully well what an absolute Nebraska football fanatic I was. Once football season began, however, the implications of what that actually meant finally hit her. Strange considering she also came from a family that loved college football, but they weren't from Nebraska so that was probably the difference.
I explained to her I was going to be watching the game. We could definitely hang out afterwards or, better yet, she could come over and watch with my family!
This turned out to be a very bad suggestion. In all of her hormonal high school rage she threatened to break up with me if I didn't hang out with her instead of watching the game. It was "only a road game" after all, she said.
*Sigh* So uncultured.
To this day I still don't understand why that matters, but with my back against the wall I made the only choice I could make in that moment.
I stayed home and watched the game with my family. I figured if we broke up over something like this, it was probably for the best.
And it was a great game! Nebraska won in a shootout with the help of 300+ yards passing, 100+ rushing yards and 5 touchdowns from Taylor Martinez. And Alex Henery even converted a 4th and 8 from within Nebraska's own 20 on an impromptu fake punt.
I have so many fond memories of that game and it ended up being one of the last times my entire family would gather in our basement, line the counter with snacks and watch Nebraska football together. This was something we did for years, almost every road game, for as far back as I can remember.
My mom died unexpectedly a little over a month after this game. About 2 months after that this girlfriend finally ended up doing what she threatened on the day of that game and broke up with me. In hindsight, her reluctance to be a part of something that meant so much to me should have been a major red flag. We weren't meant to be. And that's okay.
Moral of the story: No girlfriend or boyfriend is worth getting in the way of something you deeply care about, especially if it's something your family shares a deep connection over.
The woman I married passed that test so everything worked out in the end.
And I wouldn't trade the memory of spending that fantastic game with my mom and the rest of my family for anything.
I know, I know. Two weeks ago I wrote a satirical blog making fun of those who blame younger generations for everything, but the student attendance the last 2 home games has been abysmal.
Just putrid.
My memories of going to Nebraska games stretches to the early 2000s and I can never remember a game in which that many students were absent. Maybe a few times the upper 3-5 rows were empty but that was it. Now I recognize not everyone is as die-hard as me, nor should everyone be, but I've made some tough calls to make sure I haven't missed Husker games in my short time on Earth so the old "it was too cold and too early" excuse doesn't really fly for me. That being said, kudos to the students who actually did show up. It is very appreciated and any criticism levied at student fans does not apply to them.
Anyway semi-related story time. In 2010 I was a sophomore in high school and #14 Nebraska was traveling to Stillwater Oklahoma to play undefeated #17 Oklahoma State. I was psyched out of my mind in nervous anticipation.
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| The Dilemma |
I explained to her I was going to be watching the game. We could definitely hang out afterwards or, better yet, she could come over and watch with my family!
This turned out to be a very bad suggestion. In all of her hormonal high school rage she threatened to break up with me if I didn't hang out with her instead of watching the game. It was "only a road game" after all, she said.
*Sigh* So uncultured.
To this day I still don't understand why that matters, but with my back against the wall I made the only choice I could make in that moment.
And it was a great game! Nebraska won in a shootout with the help of 300+ yards passing, 100+ rushing yards and 5 touchdowns from Taylor Martinez. And Alex Henery even converted a 4th and 8 from within Nebraska's own 20 on an impromptu fake punt.
I have so many fond memories of that game and it ended up being one of the last times my entire family would gather in our basement, line the counter with snacks and watch Nebraska football together. This was something we did for years, almost every road game, for as far back as I can remember.
My mom died unexpectedly a little over a month after this game. About 2 months after that this girlfriend finally ended up doing what she threatened on the day of that game and broke up with me. In hindsight, her reluctance to be a part of something that meant so much to me should have been a major red flag. We weren't meant to be. And that's okay.
Moral of the story: No girlfriend or boyfriend is worth getting in the way of something you deeply care about, especially if it's something your family shares a deep connection over.
The woman I married passed that test so everything worked out in the end.
And I wouldn't trade the memory of spending that fantastic game with my mom and the rest of my family for anything.
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