By Molly Byrd, Assistant Copy Editor
I have grown up finding every excuse possible to skip out on going to football games. My mom has never been a big sports fan. Heck, even my dad was never found stretched out in a La-Z-Boy chair watching Monday Night Football. This year, I actually attended my first Super Bowl game party. Some may call me un-American, but I cannot help the influence my parents had on my opinion of sports. Or can I?
Recently, someone handed me a free ticket to a Ruff Riders football game, and I agreed to attend. Not because I wanted to go see men in helmets and pads slamming each other to the ground, but because my best friend was performing at halftime, so I wanted to support her. Dreading watching football instead of studying, I walked into the indoor arena and was shocked to find myself thinking, “This may not be that bad after all.”
The stands were packed, something I had been afraid of, but I was relieved to see no one around me fit the stereotype of the extremely crazed sports fans portrayed so often on television. The atmosphere drew me in as the cheerleaders encouraged everyone to participate. I looked around and recognized that football games are more than just a couple of men throwing a football; it is an opportunity for the Abilene community to celebrate one of its common interests. Ruff Riders T-shirts and sweatshirts decorated the crowd as the attendees munched on hot dogs and popcorn. The names of the football players were announced, and I realized more than four on the team attended ACU.
Children and parents were brought together in this experience; some little girls even performed during halftime to display the dances they learned at cheer camp. The United Freestyle Stunt Team members from Fort Worth spun circles in the air on their bikes and pumped up the audience’s adrenaline, and awards were given to those who participated in a tailgate barbecue contest that took place before the game. The Lady Ruff Riders performed and showcased their new recruits, outfits and dance moves.
I left this football game with an entirely different outlook on what it is that makes a football game such a favorable experience for most people. Instead of thinking it was solely about two teams beating each other up over a ball, I realized it is about the entire atmosphere. It is one single audience admiring and encouraging the competition of two teams and bringing the community of Abilene together in one place at one time to have a good experience. Although I am not a sports fanatic after this eye-opening day, I am glad I gave it a chance; who knows, maybe next time I will snag a ticket to a Cowboys’ game.
