A little perspective from a friend and fellow Dawg fan

I recently got an e-mail from a friend of mine that I met up here in North Carolina. He is a UGA alum and actually was the person who turned me onto the local UGA Bulldog Alumni chapter and urged me to join them for game viewing on Saturdays.

As I listened to the Tennessee game on XM last weekend, I had an epiphany regarding the Bulldogs football team and my seeming ability to equate their success with my happiness. I decided then to step back across "the line" I had apparently crossed, gain some perspective and realize what is truly important. The e-mail my friend sent me today, with no prompting or knowledge of my thoughts from this weekend let me know that I was definitely on the right track.

"Do you ever sit back and wonder where the line is between entitlement and fandom? At what point do we, fans, have the right to ask our coaches hard questions that hold them accountable---and at what point do we fans need to realize that we are not entitled to anything when it comes to our coaches answering our questions and we aren’t owed a damn thing.

I’ve come to this crossroads this year with the Dawgs. I am as die hard of a Dawg as there is. I am passionate, as informed as I can be for living out of state, and root for the Dawgs through thick and thin. Almost like a marriage---in good times and bad, for better and for worse. I live by the saying of “I’m bulldog born and bulldog bred. And when I die, by God, I’ll be bulldog dead.” So, on one hand, when the Dawgs are doing things on the field that even I, a complete nobody with no college football playing and/or coaching experience, can see—I become frustrated and confused. This leads me into asking questions—questions that I’d like answered by the man, the buck stops here man, the coach, the head coach.

But then I remember that I am just a fan. And this is just a game. And when I think about being passionate, am I more passionate about the Dawgs and getting the answers that I feel I deserve than I am about my family, my community, or my country? In the grand scheme of things, if I die and the Dawgs have not won another National Championship, will my life be unfulfilled?

I’m sure this line between entitlement and fandom is different for each of us. But I wonder how many of us have overstepped our bounds this year and crossed over from fandom to entitlement---and done so wrongly. Are we really entitled to get answers? If so, where is that line? Are we putting too much emphasis on things that are fleeting? If so, how do we get back to the land of sanity—where we care more about our family, community, and country than we do about offensive and defensive schemes?

I’m not sure about where to draw my line…but I’m sure I’ve crossed it this year and am pulling myself back as I type."

Folks, from my thoughts to his hands, this pretty much sums it up for me...thanks, Jason!

My hope is that UGA will right the ship this weekend against a Vanderbilt team that seems to have reverted back to the Vandy of old. The players need a good win to lessen the sour taste the last two weeks have provided. The coaches could probably use the break from the fans and media demanding answers for questions which really have no answers, at least none that would satisfy either side of the argument. If I was a betting man, I would bet UGA beats Vandy this weekend by a couple of touchdowns. I'll be happy if they do, but I'll still love 'em if they don't.

I will continue to post on this blog, because I do love the Bulldogs, but if my posts lack a little of the "pinpoint accuracy" of someone who actually watched the game, it's because I was probably outside playing catch with my sons or driving my wife around the neighborhood on the golf cart.