It was obvious on Wednesday night that CLK did not take this game seriously and he really missed an opportunity to gain some capital back with the fans. I know some of you will say the game is meaningless in today’s world of college football, but that is just not true for the diehard fans that spend thousands of dollars to attend these games or invite friends and family to their homes for watch parties to root for the Rebs. Like many of you, I knew several people that spent 20 hours on the road over a two day period just to go watch the Rebs play. One of my son’s friends drove to Houston from Jackson the day of the game and drove back after the game so he could be at work the next day. People really do care and are passionate about watching the Rebs play, regardless of how big the bowl is.
We were fortunate enough to fly to Houston the day of the game and were very excited about the trip. We stayed at the team hotel and there was a lot of excitement there on Wednesday leading up to kickoff. The electricity of the fans that were in the hotel lobby as the team boarded the buses was really neat. I thought Ole Miss had a good crowd at the game and we were loud when we had a reason to be.
When leaving the stadium I couldn’t help but think about the cool moments we missed out on, along with the fans watching at home. When we returned to the hotel there were very few people in the lobby and everyone just nodded at each other in passing without saying a word. If we would have won, there would have been a party in that lobby with coaches and players celebrating with fans while posing for pictures with kids. There would have been Hotty Toddys on the plane ride home yesterday that was full of Rebs. Those people watching at home would have been high-fiving and hugging each other while celebrating a win. Most of us would have put on our favorite Ole Miss hoodie or cap on Thursday morning and held our heads high as we walked through the airport or grocery store.
Don’t tell me these bowl games don’t matter. They can be a huge morale booster for fans that carries into the offseason. There is not a single Ole Miss football fan that is excited about the way this season turned out. The beauty of college football is being able to finish the season on a winning note. Only one team finishes the season on a winning note in basketball and baseball.
At this point, there is zero excitement going into the offseason and that will have an impact on donations and season ticket sales whether some of you want to admit it or not.
We were fortunate enough to fly to Houston the day of the game and were very excited about the trip. We stayed at the team hotel and there was a lot of excitement there on Wednesday leading up to kickoff. The electricity of the fans that were in the hotel lobby as the team boarded the buses was really neat. I thought Ole Miss had a good crowd at the game and we were loud when we had a reason to be.
When leaving the stadium I couldn’t help but think about the cool moments we missed out on, along with the fans watching at home. When we returned to the hotel there were very few people in the lobby and everyone just nodded at each other in passing without saying a word. If we would have won, there would have been a party in that lobby with coaches and players celebrating with fans while posing for pictures with kids. There would have been Hotty Toddys on the plane ride home yesterday that was full of Rebs. Those people watching at home would have been high-fiving and hugging each other while celebrating a win. Most of us would have put on our favorite Ole Miss hoodie or cap on Thursday morning and held our heads high as we walked through the airport or grocery store.
Don’t tell me these bowl games don’t matter. They can be a huge morale booster for fans that carries into the offseason. There is not a single Ole Miss football fan that is excited about the way this season turned out. The beauty of college football is being able to finish the season on a winning note. Only one team finishes the season on a winning note in basketball and baseball.
At this point, there is zero excitement going into the offseason and that will have an impact on donations and season ticket sales whether some of you want to admit it or not.
