Danger: Opinion Ensuing!

You know, I love sports. I really do. Few things in this life get me more exciting than the upcoming Turkey Bowl at our house, or an intramural basketball game, or just the usual pick-up games on Tuesday nights, or volleyball class at 8 o'clock in the morning...

I know what you're thinking: "Wow, Todd. You really ought to get out more... or maybe kiss a girl sometime." True.

But now is a time for reflection for me. As much as I love to play sports, watching them is really going down-hill. Although the win tonight was magical over Utah, I wonder what life would have been like had the game gone awry like last year... oh that terrible feeling of bitter irony, knowing how much enthusiasm was replaced by disappointment and sullen resentment since that historic win over Oklahoma (which lost its historic-ness as the season progressed and OK faltered). Yet, we did win, and as wonderful and elating as sweet vengeance is, I find it a bit tarnished by the ensuing comments of Max Hall.

"I don't like Utah. In fact, I hate them. I hate everything about them. I hate their program, their fans. I hate everything," Hall said. "It felt really good to send those guys home.... I think the whole university and their fans and the organization is classless. They threw beer on my family and stuff last year and did a whole bunch of nasty things. I don't respect them and they deserved to lose."

You know, my first reaction to seeing this quote was satisfaction. Hoorah, somebody agrees with me! Here we have evidence supporting my claims that Salt Lake is the city of abominable fans. And Max is right. Utah was classless, from what stories I heard of my BYU fan aquaintances that attended the game last year.

But then I remembered watching the game and thinking to myself, "I'm kind of glad I'm not there." The U of U is not alone in its classlessness. I find that fans everywhere, more than anything else, are angry, egotistical, and unrestrained. Wow, I sound really snooty and high-nosed here, but let me assure you, I AM NO EXCEPTION. I felt just as angry when the officials called the ball dead after BYU clearly recovered an obvious fumble (turns out they blew the play dead because the runners helmet came off and they were concerned for his safety), I just wasn't as verbal about it, but I would have been had I been surrounded by other outrageously boisterous fans. I've been an official before, too, and I know what it's like to be the object of hatred of everyone paying attention to your game. Perhaps that is why I am writing this blog.

Here's a shout out to "Bob Smith", the guy who called me a puss. You made this ranting possible. And here's another to my high-school basketball coach, Shannon Taylor. If I ever see you again, I might just kick you in the groonies. Shannon... snicker.

So, I know it's wishful thinking to say the world should embrace sports as what they were meant to be: recreational and friendly fun. Not gonna happen in our competitive world. Fans and players alike will go on hating people that they have never met apart from wearing a rival's uniform, and I will take all the absurdity into account before I drop another hundred-some odd bones on next year's All-sport pass, cause I probably ain't graduating anytime soon.

For what it's worth, Todd Martin. Good day.