College football season began last night for a few teams, and will begin in earnest tomorrow. That means that here in Chattanooga, things are getting very colorful. Take a ride around town, and you’re likely to see cars decorated with orange UT flags, red UGA flags, and even a few adorned with the blue and gold of UTC. You’ll also see tons of Alabama flags. Which is funny- because a few years ago, I could’ve dropped a $100 bill in the middle of Hamilton Place Mall, invited any Bama fan to come pick it up, and I wouldn’t have had a single taker. Three years ago, these same folks probably called themselves Florida fans. Before that, they probably pulled for Georgia.
What makes a fan a fan, anyway? Can you really pick a team out of thin air, buy a t-shirt and a flag, watch their games on TV, and call yourself a die-hard? Not only do I have great disdain for those people, I feel sorry for them. They’ll never know the real thrill of victory, because they’ve never tasted the agony of defeat.
Which brings me to my beloved Vols. It hasn’t been easy to be a UT football fan lately. Every year September rolls in with the promise of championships, then the calendar turns to October with a cold shower of reality. Collectively, we’re a bunch of Ralphie Parkers, breathlessly waiting for Christmas morning to unwrap a shiny Red Rider bb gun from Santa, but all we ever get is Aunt Clara’s pink bunny suit.
What sustains us through these lean times? For one thing, it’s the good times, past and future. We endured the horrors of 2008 because of the thrill of 1998, and the promise that we’ll get there again. As fans, we’ve emerged from the Lane Kiffin debacle stronger because of Robert Neyland, Johnny Majors, and Phil Fulmer, and the hope that Derrek Dooley can duplicate their accomplishments. We’ve reached the top of the mountain before- without the benefit of “street cred”. By God, we’ll do it again- and when we do, it will be that much sweeter because we stuck around through the hard times.
We keep coming back because of old traditions and new friendships. I have friends that I only see in Knoxville during football season. In some cases, I don’t even know their names. But they’ve tailgated next to us for years. We’ve shared food and drinks and watched games together in the parking lot. I’ve high-fived and hugged complete strangers in Neyland Stadium. I don’t know who they are, but they’ve sat near us for the past decade. I know them as “Fedora Dude” and “Hot Sundress Girl” and of course, the famous “It’s Third Down!” guy.
These are the experiences that keep the real fans coming back for more. These are the reasons why I’ll get up before dawn tomorrow, pack my cooler, decorate my vehicle, happily make the ninety minute trek to Knoxville, and crack open my first beer by 9AM. These are experiences that the bandwagon crowd will never begin to comprehend. I wouldn’t trade a 5-7 season as a real fan for a national title as a johnny come lately.
Again, it doesn’t look to be a vintage season for the Vols this Fall. But the die hards will keep coming back, because that’s what we do. And because you just never know- this could be the year we finally get that Red Rider.
