Feel lucky, privileged to be a Georgia football fan
It was another heartbreaker for Georgia football fans who may not feel like they have much heart left to break. But the Bulldog Nation should feel lucky to be fans of this team.
I needed to write this while the wounds were still fresh, and the feeling of wretched woe was still washing over me. I didn’t want to wait until I’d had time to detoxify from yet another crushing loss as a Georgia football fan.
Seriously. How much do Georgia fans have left in them to destroy? How much more misery can they take before it gets to be too much?
In my estimation, the Bulldog Nation isn’t even close to being destroyed and has zero misery.
Just to put where I’m coming form in perspective, at 52 years old, I’ve been an avid follower and fan of the Georgia Bulldogs for around 40-or-so years. Prior to being 12 years old, I probably cheered for the Dawgs, but wasn’t really aware of what my soul was being sucked into.
That brings us to today, and the latest chapter of Vader-esque screams of “Noooooooo!” from Georgia football fans.
The Bulldogs were just manhandled and escorted out of their home-away-from-home, Mercedes Benz Stadium, by the LSU Tigers in the SEC Championship Game. The loss most certainly yanked Georgia’s name from the list of playoff teams, and will probably send them back to yet another close-but-no-cigar Sugar Bowl.
Congrats to LSU, a truly great team. We should hope they represent the SEC well in the College Football Playoff.
My social media timelines can be summed up in a few succinct thoughts that seem to be repeated over and over.
I’m tired of having my heart broken.
Georgia is cursed and so are their fans.
It never fails, Georgia comes up just short again.
I hate football.
While most of those feelings are probably accurate or fair to be experiencing (although I’m not convinced of any curse unless it involves the Atlanta Falcons) Georgia football fans need to take the — if you’ll forgive the cliché — glass-half-full approach to this loss.
In the 40-plus years I’ve been seriously following Georgia football, I’ve gotten to experience the Bulldogs playing in;
- 3 national championship games, winning one
- 4 conference championships (pre-Championship Game era)
- 8 SEC Championship Games, winning three
- 37 Bowl Games, winning 22
- 32 wins over Georgia Tech
- 22 wins over Auburn
- 19 wins over Florida
- Only four – FOUR – losing seasons
And countless days and nights at Sanford Stadium with friends and family feeling blessed to be a Georgia Bulldog. I’ve been able to watch the entire careers — college and pro — of a host of legendary players, including Todd Gurley, Aaron Murray, Champ Bailey, David Pollack, Garrison Hearst, Hines Ward, and perhaps the greatest college football player of all time, Herschel Walker.
Getting to the SEC Championship Game is more than 12 other teams in the conference can say this year. Getting to it three years in a row is more than 12 other SEC teams in the history of the title game can say. Having 10-win seasons eight of the past 10 years is something few fanbases have experienced…ever.
Yeah, yeah…I know. So close. James Coley. Jake Fromm. Injuries. It’s easy to wallow in the what-ifs, especially over the last three years, but it’s better to bask in how great it is to be a Georgia fan. It’s more satisfying to think about living or having lived in the best college town in the entire nation. It’s more important to realize the kids who are sweating and bleeding on that field want to win those games even more than you want them to.
No, I’m not dismissing that some things need to be fixed and improved. Yes, the losses in big games are hard to deal with sometimes, because let’s face it, playing in the SEC is a rough business. But it could be much much worse. It’s a great thing to be a Georgia Bulldog. It’s a privilege to cheer for this team. Win or lose. Rings or not. Good and bad.