Georgia Football and Joy
I’ve never personally witnessed a person experiencing a heart attack, but last Thursday afternoon, it seemed like the entire city of Athens and the University of Georgia when into sudden cardiac arrest. It came out of nowhere and with no warning, like getting blindsided by a car when crossing a street. And it hurt. Badly.
I remember I was sitting on the couch in my house in Athens, taking a study break and watching my roommates play FIFA. Everything was normal. It was a regular Thursday. Tests were going on, schedules were busy, and the semester was in full swing.
And then the news broke.
Our star player was suspended.
It took a second to process. There had been rumors and false allegations before, so it seemed like it could’ve been another joke. But as time went on and Twitter and Facebook began imploding, it was clear that this was no joke.
That’s when the hysteria began. And for a couple hours, I was part of it. I thought this was gonna be a football season for the ages.
There are only two classes in the entire history of UGA who can say they were the exact same year as the school’s Heisman trophy winner. Not only did they see every home game he played in, but they also went to class with him. They saw him around campus all the time. When he was a freshman, they were a freshman. When he was a senior or junior about to head to the NFL, they were a senior or a junior as well. Of all the students on campus, they felt the closest connection to him.
And I thought that would be me too- only the 3rd class in school history. He was in my Human Geography class freshman year. I see him in the dinning halls and around campus all the time. We’re the same age. And he was very likely to be the Heisman trophy winner. I thought it was all pretty special.
There was nothing quite like seeing him burst for a 50 yard touchdown run against Clemson in a season opener blowout, going crazy in the stands, “We Dem Boyz” blasting over the PA system while dancing around in celebration with your favorite people. It was a blast. Towards the end of the game, on his final touchdown run, I remember yelling to my friend at the top of my lungs with a nonexistent voice, “He’s gonna win the Heisman!!!” Talk about making some memories.
And now, all of that seems like a long shot. It’s amazing to see the impact it has had on the entire city and attitude of the students, alumni, and fans. And I think it illuminates an issue that reaches far beyond college football.
This post has nothing to do with the suspension. It has to do with something that I think is infinitely more important: Our source of joy.
I’m a rabid Georgia football fan. I’ve been going to games since 2005, and my passion has grown exponentially since I’ve been a student here. The downside is that I have endured many tough seasons. And with that, comes disappointment. I was that guy whose mood was ruined for the rest of the weekend if the Dawgs lost. On Saturdays in the fall, Georgia football was my source of joy.
Until last school year when I slowly began to realize something. It’s not that I had never thought of it before, but the truth of it began to take a strong root in my heart. As a result, the past few days really haven’t bothered me. After the initial disappointment, everything was back to normal.
Here’s why.
1) I don’t have any control. I can go to the games and yell and be loud and have fun, but I really don’t make a difference in the outcome of the game. So why should I fret about something that I have zero control over? Whether we win the national championship or go 0-12, I had nothing to do with it.
2) People matter more. I love watching the game and using it as a way to spend time with friends. At the end of the day, that’s really all it is. If a UGA loss or a key suspension has disappointed me to the point that I cannot serve others and be around them joyfully, that’s a serious problem. I’ve had to preach that to myself on multiple occasions.
3) Football is not the end all. I am a huge fan of sports in general. But there’s way more to life than fretting and worrying and ranting on social media and defending my point of view on the subject of Georgia football. When they say that football in the south is a religion, they’re kind of right.
It doesn’t stop with Georgia football, or any sports team for that matter. It’s a problem that seeps into every corner of our lives. We let things define us everyday. Relationships, performance in school, the big football game, our socioeconomic background, whether our politician of choice wins the election, etc. etc. etc.
None of these are bad things. But when a good thing becomes the Ultimate thing- the ultimate dictator of our joy, then we have what’s called an idol. And I am 100% guilty of everything mentioned above.
I love the Dawgs and I love Georgia football, but it does not have a hold on my joy. Because when our identity and source of joy is defined by anything less than who we were created to be, we aren’t truly living. As my favorite band Switchfoot puts it, “We were meant to live for so much more”.
“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” – C.S. Lewis
