The madness of college football

College football is madness. Yesterday was the “game of the year”, with even college game day in toe, but when observing the scene, one has to wonder if most of the people there truly care about the result of the game, and the game itself, or the fact that perhaps it’s just another excuse to get deliriously wasted on alcohol and drugs. As far as I can tell, it would have to be a combination of both.
Thursday night, two nights prior to the actual game, is when the debauchery starts. The bars are packed, fraternities are stocking up, and undergrads scour the streets in search of house parties. They claim that binge drinking can be classified as more than 5-6 drinks per night for a man and 4-5 for a woman, which in turn means that seemingly more than 90 percent of the drinking crowd on campus is of the binge drinking persuasion. Are people actually excited for the game? Or are they generally just excited to drink? And sex of course, can’t forget about that, as everyone who goes out partying always has that somewhere in the course of their minds. We are after all, human. So much of our behavior is directed towards the ultimate goal of sex, and the loosening on inhibitions through alcohol and whatever illicit substances are popular on campus at the time are a clear cut example of this.
The party continues through Friday night. Everyone was excited to make it to the ESPN college game day showcase on Saturday morning, but I for one knew my friends and I would be out until at least 3 am, and sure as hell weren’t going to make it out of the house by 4:30 am.
So, you sleep for maybe 4 or 5 hours tops, get up, and instantly start drinking off the previous night’s hangover. Was anyone celebrating the fact that the so called “biggest football game in Arizona history” was going to be starting at 6 pm, or were they generally just content to drink and be with their friends all day. Three bottles of wind, lots of cheap beer and hard alcohol, sitting by the pool; enjoying the fact that for that very moment no essays were due, no tests were to be had and no deadlines were upcoming.
The actual games rolls around at 6 pm, but we had to leave at 4, a total drag to be sitting in the stadium for that long. Arizona played well, though ultimately lost. I was unfortunately of the persuasion to run down to the field way too early, with approximately 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter. When the game was inevitably lost, I was certainly disappointed, if only momentarily. See, these games have no real bearing on my personal life, and it seems absurd to let something so futile bring me down. Instead, I go out, get a drink and enjoy the night regardless of football or not. Am I in the minority? Or am I in the secret majority?