I've heard a lot of talk regarding the prudence of bringing back the black against the Tide this weekend. Some say it gives the Alabama faithful a false sense importance, pumps them up, and adds more pressure on the Dawgs than they should be asked to handle. I'm okay with it. The folks in charge followed the rules that should govern exactly when the stadium should go dark.
1. Don't do it opening week. There's enough build up already and the Dawgnation has way too much to think about with finding lost comrades and reinitiating old tailgating sites to their former glory. Concentrate on getting week 1 right, not adding extra flavor.
2. Don't do it for the SEC opener. Again, lets get into the season a little bit and save the razzle dazzle for the meat of the schedule. Good solid footing needs to be established and South Carolina is usually a game to suffer through rather than celebrate dominance.
3. Only do it for an SEC game. Big name non conference games have enough intrigue of their own. Whether its Colorado, Clemson or Arizona State, there's enough in the novelty of the match up without confusing the visitor for the way we generally do things Between the Hedges. Same goes for Georgia Tech. The yearly scrimmage with the North Avenue Trade School is a almost separate from the rest of the schedule. I actually tend to forget about until the day of the game, at which point my ego wants to make sure I still dominate like I'm playing basketball in the driveway with my little brother. No blackout necessary.
4. Only do it at home. Obviously part of the appeal is to see the view from the Goodyear Blimp with 95% of Sanford Stadium in cohesive 12th man formation. It would also be a little disrespectful to pull these kinds of shenanigans on an opponents home field. No bueno, keep it on our turf. Also, there's the appeal of letting the tailgaters revel in the moment in all its glory. Which takes me to...
5. Don't do it for a game that starts before 3:30. Give folks the time to hang out and enjoy it. Plus, a noon kickoff also means a hungover, sun staring straight down heatstroke waiting to happen. I'd like to avoid this.
6. Only do it when both teams are top 15. I'd actually be cool with the rule being top 10, which happens often enough in the SEC. It should be a big moment. Not Mississippi St.
7. Only do it once a year. I don't like it that we pulled it out twice last season. We go forever without doing it (the exception being Vince Dooley's last game as AD when just the fans wore black) and then do it twice in the same year? Space it out a little bit. Hawaii was fun enough without trying to add anything.
8. Don't do it in Jacksonville. Again, the World's Largest Cocktail Party has intrigue enough in and of itself without switching things up.
Its not that donning black is difficult, or a lucky charm, or decidedly intimidating to anyone walking through our doors. But it is fun. The stadium shots look awesome and it shows a solidarity amongst the fan base and the team. Its another way for the crowd tailgating on North Campus to show that they care about the game and the football team and not just about how many Bud Lights can be put down on a given Saturday afternoon. Nobody faulted the Miami Heat for whiting out their arena for their playoff games and I have zero desire to in any way make it a once in a while tradition like Notre Dame, the quintessential bankrupt old money still dressing in pearls and furs to keep up appearances.
I also realize that the rules pretty much limit the application to Tennessee, Auburn, LSU, or Alabama. That's okay, we don't have to do it every year and we'll be just fine without it. The stars lineup this weekend though and it should be fun to watch.
1. Don't do it opening week. There's enough build up already and the Dawgnation has way too much to think about with finding lost comrades and reinitiating old tailgating sites to their former glory. Concentrate on getting week 1 right, not adding extra flavor.
2. Don't do it for the SEC opener. Again, lets get into the season a little bit and save the razzle dazzle for the meat of the schedule. Good solid footing needs to be established and South Carolina is usually a game to suffer through rather than celebrate dominance.
3. Only do it for an SEC game. Big name non conference games have enough intrigue of their own. Whether its Colorado, Clemson or Arizona State, there's enough in the novelty of the match up without confusing the visitor for the way we generally do things Between the Hedges. Same goes for Georgia Tech. The yearly scrimmage with the North Avenue Trade School is a almost separate from the rest of the schedule. I actually tend to forget about until the day of the game, at which point my ego wants to make sure I still dominate like I'm playing basketball in the driveway with my little brother. No blackout necessary.
4. Only do it at home. Obviously part of the appeal is to see the view from the Goodyear Blimp with 95% of Sanford Stadium in cohesive 12th man formation. It would also be a little disrespectful to pull these kinds of shenanigans on an opponents home field. No bueno, keep it on our turf. Also, there's the appeal of letting the tailgaters revel in the moment in all its glory. Which takes me to...
5. Don't do it for a game that starts before 3:30. Give folks the time to hang out and enjoy it. Plus, a noon kickoff also means a hungover, sun staring straight down heatstroke waiting to happen. I'd like to avoid this.
6. Only do it when both teams are top 15. I'd actually be cool with the rule being top 10, which happens often enough in the SEC. It should be a big moment. Not Mississippi St.
7. Only do it once a year. I don't like it that we pulled it out twice last season. We go forever without doing it (the exception being Vince Dooley's last game as AD when just the fans wore black) and then do it twice in the same year? Space it out a little bit. Hawaii was fun enough without trying to add anything.
8. Don't do it in Jacksonville. Again, the World's Largest Cocktail Party has intrigue enough in and of itself without switching things up.
Its not that donning black is difficult, or a lucky charm, or decidedly intimidating to anyone walking through our doors. But it is fun. The stadium shots look awesome and it shows a solidarity amongst the fan base and the team. Its another way for the crowd tailgating on North Campus to show that they care about the game and the football team and not just about how many Bud Lights can be put down on a given Saturday afternoon. Nobody faulted the Miami Heat for whiting out their arena for their playoff games and I have zero desire to in any way make it a once in a while tradition like Notre Dame, the quintessential bankrupt old money still dressing in pearls and furs to keep up appearances.
I also realize that the rules pretty much limit the application to Tennessee, Auburn, LSU, or Alabama. That's okay, we don't have to do it every year and we'll be just fine without it. The stars lineup this weekend though and it should be fun to watch.
3 comments:
I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Kate
http://educationonline-101.com
Was talking to Mike Coker about the Florida game. You guys broke a rule, and looked foolish in doing it.
If only the administration would've listened to you.
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