Grateful: Day Four

Today I'm grateful for college sports.
Last night my alma mater The University of Texas Longhorn football team played for the National Championship. It was quite a game.
Going in, the Longhorns were slight underdogs, but had every hope of winning. These kids (and they are kids!) have devoted their lives to playing football. They have played for years on very good teams, but at UT - you're nobody if you're not ranked number one or the national champs. So no matter how good of a season you had, if you weren't number one it's a disappointment. That's a lot of pressure in my opinion.
This year, the dream was thisclose to becoming reality and then the unthinkable happened. Colt McCoy (can you believe that name?), UT's star quarterback, gets hurt on the FIRST DRIVE OF THE GAME. Gone. Out for the game. Sayonara. It was like a kick in the gut. Texting back and forth with Clarissa and Stephanie last night produced this quote from Clarissa: "I bet that freshman quarterback crapped his pants when Colt went down!" My thoughts exactly.
Can you imagine being 18 years old, in high school at this time last year, and your first chance to really play comes in THE NATIONAL FREAKING CHAMPIONSHIP GAME???? With millions and millions of people watching you? With an amazing defense ready to mow you down with one false move or missed play?
And imagine being Colt McCoy? Your whole life leads up to this moment and you are injured on the first drive of the game? Cruel twist of fate.
And this is why I love college sports: Watching that little freshman get his feet under him the second half. Watching him jump for joy when he threw a beautiful touchdown pass not once but twice! Can you even imagine how he probably crapped his pants again, but this time for good reasons??? For anyone that cares or remembers...he reminds me of Major Applewhite in a big way. Lots of guts, very feisty. And did you catch Colt McCoy's interview at the end of the game? He was literally...speechless. He kept trying to talk but the words wouldn't come out. I'm sure he felt the biggest sense of disappointment and loss of his young life - but he was so gracious and talked about wanting more than anything to be out there with his team. A team that never quit even though they must have been absolutely shell shocked. I was all choked up. I felt so proud of the team - watching until the bitter end of a bittersweet game.
Professional sports no longer does it for me. Overpriced, overpaid, overgrown boys being deified for playing a game. Hmmphf.
But college sports? Sigh. College sports still matter and still represent the best things about teamwork and brotherhood and all for one, one for all.
Last, before the game ABC put together a montage of all the college football teams during cool moments of the last few years. One was a locker room scene and the Iowa State coach was surrounded by his players giving a post-game speech and he was screaming at them in a gravelly, raspy emotion-filled voice , "Right now...Right now I am so proud! I AM SO PROUD TO BE YOUR COACH!"
Well Longhorns...RIGHT NOW I AM SO PROUD TO BE YOUR FAN!!!!!!!!!!!
Hook 'em!