Here in the heart of IU country, it would be hard to overstate the excitement about the football championship game on Monday. It’s been building all season. I am perpetually uninterested in sports, but even I started watching as they neared the end of the regular season undefeated.
For those who don’t know: Indiana University has traditionally been a basketball and soccer school. As of two years ago, they had the highest number of losses for any Division 1 football team in history. Apart from a very few years, they’ve always been varying shades of bad. But they got a new coach, Curt Cignetti, two years ago and he initiated a stunning turnaround. Though they did well last year, this year has been amazing. They’re one game away from being the undefeated college football champions.
I was in the dentist’s office this morning and I could hear the hygienists all asking their patients if they’re going to be watching the game. Everyone everywhere is asking everyone they meet if they’ll be watching the game. The answer is, unanimously, yes. At our staff meeting this morning our boss asked us for score predictions, with promises of a prize for the closest answer. Everyone is wearing IU gear. An elementary school child got nationwide attention for writing to the Indiana governor asking him to give schools a two hour delay on the Tuesday morning after the game. He decided to leave it up to individual corporations–and a few are doing it. There are reportedly enormous lines on campus for the free rally towels they’ve been handing out before each game. These are just a few things that have come to my (again, typically uninterested) ears. I’m sure there’s much, much more.
It really is great fun, especially in a time of grim news. I’m glad I’ve been keeping up with it in recent weeks. It’ll be one of those things that people around here will remember for many years to come.