Robservations: MTSU’s fans are true ‘Blue’
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Every week through the fall, I’ll hear people ask what time “the game” is this Saturday. Without fail, I’ll raise an eyebrow, look at them like they’re crazy, and ask, “Which game?”
But you know they always mean the UT game.
This is, I realize, the Volunteer State. And this is, I also realize, a community heavily populated by supporters of the University of Tennessee and its athletic programs.
But brace yourself, because I know this is hard to believe. There are some people, right here in this community, who (gasp!) are not fans of the Big Orange.
For some, it’s because they’re just not from here. A transplant from Michigan could care less whether Casey will be the next Peyton, or how well the line stacks up compared to teams past.
For others, like your friendly neighborhood sports editor, it’s because of allegiances to other programs — namely this week’s visitors to the hill, Middle Tennessee State.
Now before you get the wrong impression, I know Bin Laden has a better shot at a senate seat than Middle has of coming back down I-40 with a win Saturday.
But you never know…
Back to fan loyalty, however, and in particular my support of the Blue Raiders.
Bottom line, it’s my alma mater. I gave MTSU thousands of dollars, they gave me a degree. After graduation, I stuck around for about five more years, during which time I worked in the sports media industry serving as the official Blue Raider beat writer for 1-1/2 years, and becoming an official Blue Raider fan for life.
If you know any true MTSU fans, and by “true” I mean dyed-in-the-wool, die-hard boosters, you’ll know what I mean when I say that any lingering feelings of support for UT were driven from my mind a long time ago.
Now, you’ll still find people all over who say, “Well, I love MTSU, I love what they’re doing down there in Murfreesboro. But I’m still a UT fan at heart.”
Sorry, wrong answer. At least among the fans I worked, played and lived with. You’ve got to pick a side when you’re with that crowd, even in instances like this weekend, when MTSU is more likely to find a thousand needles in a million haystacks than to find a win.
But, once again, you never know…
Here’s an example that will hopefully illustrate how to true Middle fans, you’ve got to take one side and go with it. At a tailgate party a couple of seasons ago, a car drove through the parking lot on the north end of the stadium.
Now keep in mind, this was a 6 p.m. kickoff, and the car came through around 2 o’clock, so the party had been going on for around five hours at this point.
UT had a big game that Saturday, playing Alabama, Florida or one of those other teams that they claim to “own” whenever they finally eke out a win and break a 10-year losing streak. So this guy driving through the Greenland Drive lot decided to ride the fence, and sported an MTSU flag on the passenger side of his car, and a UT flag on the driver’s side.
Well, that dog didn’t hunt for one second, and suffice it to say he received several suggestions on where to park his car, and several more on where to park that orange and white flag.
That’s the loyalty that makes MTSU fans like myself refuse to accept moral victories when the Raiders lose to Alabama by five (moral victories are for Vanderbilt, as Monte Hale would say), and that’s the kind of loyalty that will send myself and several thousands of other Blue Raider fans east this weekend for what, I’m sure, will be a lopsided contest that will send us all home disappointed.
Although, now that I think about it, maybe… just maybe…