It’s the last week of July and Bulldog fans are giddy. Anticipation is building as the start of the 2015 football season nears; and a noon-time kickoff with Louisiana-Monroe is fast approaching. Whispering softly amongst themselves, so as not to cast any preseason curse on the prospects of the upcoming schedule; Bulldog diehards pray to the football gods in hope that this will be THE season when everything falls into place. Fingers crossed that Lady Luck will be on their side. And dreams that when the dust has settled, a SEC Championship/National Crown will lay at the end of the Yellow Brick Road for the Bulldog faithful!
However; many of these same fans seem to have the memory span of a big eyed goldfish. They don’t recall that they held these same hope and dreams – at the start of last season. And the year before that! And the year before that! In fact, they’ve held those same unfulfilled dreams going all the way back to the end of 2005 season. That was the last time in which the Bulldog Nation danced the SEC Champ’s rhumba. And Disco was on death’s door the last time fans celebrated a national championship dance.
Chocking in the grip of such an extended drought for such a highly regarded program, one has to wonder when these little frustrated goldfish will grow weary of swimming in the annual bowl of stagnate water which they find themselves in at the end of each year? How long will they accept a sprinkle of fish by-product as the substance to keep their hope alive and hold them over until the next season? When will these passive fans grow a set of choppers and take on the attitude of a school of angry meat-eating piranhas?
But by all indications, these goldfish only get angry when there’s talk of changing the water in the bowl. There’s a reason for their misfortune. A scapegoat is always identified at the end of each season; and with the elimination of last year’s scapegoat, a catalyst is born to foster renewed anticipation for the upcoming season. The annual hardships and resulting excuses have evolved into a ritualistic plug and play scenario: a new offensive coordinator, an injury plagued front line, a new defensive coordinator, an untested quarterback, unlucky breaks, and we’re back to a new offensive coordinator. A vicious circle of unfortunate trials and tribulations meant to test a true fan’s loyalty. And with a set of convenient, interchangeable excuses, no one is forced to address the real issue – the emperor is wearing no clothes.
As Randall Hoven once stated, “When you need to pull your wagon out of the ditch, at some point, you should stop whipping the horse and start unloading the wagon.” Translation: At some point, you have to stop plugging in excuses and address the real problem. With power comes responsibility! With responsibility comes accountability! And with accountability come a time to “Man-Up” and admit ones failures to deliver the promised goods.
For way too long, Bulldog fans have been paying the butcher for a cut of prime rib while consistently being handed a pound of chopped steak at the end of each year. But when someone challenges the quality of the meat being served, many Bulldog loyalist scream, “Shut up! Beef is beef! At least, we’re getting a cut from the cow!”
So that leaves one to wonder, when will the loyalist wake up and realize that on several occasions they’ve actually stood before the grill? They’ve seen the prize! They’ve heard the sizzle! They’ve inhaled the aroma! They’ve witnessed the prize being lifted from the grill! Ready to be served to a famished crowd! Only to see the prize slip from the tongs of the grill master’s fork! And fall to the ground before their very eyes! And as they watch in horror, a pack of ravenous mongrel’s dash in to snatch their prize and lay claim to what was once theirs!
But fear not you loyalist fan! For as the aromatic fragrance of victory hangs heavy in the air, remember: Blame the fork! Not the grill master! For he brought you to the grill! If it had not been for him, you would never have even known the aroma of the grill.
So close your eyes, take in the lingering fragrance, and don’t complain – for a chopped steak patty is STILL quality beef.