What Our TCU Football Team Taught Me

Football has become an obsession for TCU students, or maybe it’s just an obsession of mine. Since coming to TCU, I have experienced only great football seasons. What makes TCU and other college students around the country so obsessed with their sports teams? Is it pride? Fame? Happiness? Competition?

            Growing up in Kansas, I was exposed to the Big XII conference at an early age. I know the cut-throat rivalries, the great bowl games, and the memorable regular season games. I was excited to come to TCU because I would still get to see my favorite teams (Rock Chalk) play the school I actually attended. Coming to TCU also gave me the opportunity to compete and brag to my friends who also attended Big XII schools.

I fell in love with football on January 1, 2007 when the Oklahoma Sooners faced the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl. Boise State boldly ran the “Statue of Liberty” play for a two-point conversion that won the game in overtime. Ian Johnson, the player who ran the ball into the end zone to win the game, proposed to his cheerleader girlfriend after the game, even though he did not have the ring with him. That proposal was the moment I realized there was so much more to just a sixty minute football game. People were passionate about that Boise State team, and I wanted to seek that passion those fans felt.

During winter break of my first semester at TCU, I realized there was a lot of bad blood between my friends and me. We all seemed to be trying to “one-up” each other on who was enjoying their college experience the most. One of the ways to compete with one another was obviously talking about our football teams. One of my friends is on the dance team at Baylor. She went on and on about Baylor’s comeback to beat TCU 61 to 58. I was angry, really angry. Why would she insult my school like that? I actually go to TCU! My TCU friends and I were so upset that our playoff hopes were crushed! Did this loss to Baylor overshadow my college experiences compared to my friends?

I was terrified to think that my high school friends thought I was not enjoying college. Football was an outlet for me to show my horned frog pride. I could brag about how much fun I had at the games, how all the TCU students cheered in the Bluu when the playoff rankings were released, and how excited I would be to see my college friends over Christmas break in Pasadena. Football, especially for me, is a way to show the world my school spirit. It is an outward way to boast to my friends and family at other Big XII schools that my school is the best in all the Midwest. This pride also applies to other college students across the country. Athletic teams are an easy topic of conversation for most students. From what I have experienced, when your team is doing well, your happiness seems to increase too. I do not know how my first semester at TCU would have gone if it were not for our great season. TCU football has made me one happy girl. God bless TCU and God bless Gary Patterson.