For all my "northern" friends. The below describes what football is like in the south.
SOUTHERN vs. NORTHERN FOOTBALL
Women's Accessories:
NORTH: ChapStick in back pocket and a $20 bill in the front pocket.
SOUTH: Louis Vuitton duffel with two lipsticks, waterproof mascara, and a fifth of bourbon. Money is not necessary that's what dates are for.
Stadium Size:
NORTH: College football stadiums hold 20,000 people.
SOUTH: High school football stadiums hold 20,000 people.
Campus Decor:
NORTH: Statues of founding fathers.
SOUTH: Statues of Heisman trophy winners.
Homecoming Queen:
NORTH: Also a physics major.
SOUTH: Also Miss America. We're naturally beautiful.
Cheerleaders:
NORTH: If you are slightly coordinated, you make the varsity squad.
SOUTH: You begin cheer camp at age two, complete with ballet, dance, & gymnastic training.
Getting Tickets:
NORTH: 5 days before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus and purchase tickets.
SOUTH: 5 months before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus & put name on the waiting list.
Friday Classes After a Thursday Night Game:
NORTH: Students and teachers not sure they're going to the game, because they have classes on Friday.
SOUTH: Teachers cancel Friday classes because they don't want to see the few hung-over students that might actually make it to class.
Parking:
NORTH: An hour before game time, the University opens the campus for game parking.
SOUTH: RVs sporting their school flags begin arriving on Wednesday for the weekend festivities. The really faithful arrive on Tuesday.
Game Day:
NORTH: A few students party in the dorm and watch ESPN on TV.
SOUTH: Every student wakes up, has a beer for breakfast, and rushes over to where ESPN is broadcasting "Game Day Live" to get on camera and wave to the people up north.
Tailgating:
NORTH: Raw meat on a grill, beer with lime in it, listening to Local radio station with truck tailgate down.
SOUTH: 30-foot custom pig-shaped smoker fires up at dawn. Cooking accompanied by live performance by "Dave Matthew's' Band," who come over during breaks and ask for a hit off bottle of bourbon. I'm not sure about the pig-shaped smoker, but there's always a grill and alcohol involved.
Getting to the Stadium:
NORTH: You ask "Where's the stadium?" When you find it, you walk right in.
SOUTH: When you're near it, you'll hear it. On game day it becomes the state's third largest city. You see the stadium from 5 miles away and can hear and smell it when you enter the county.
Concessions:
NORTH: Drinks served in a paper cup, filled to the top with soda.
SOUTH: Drinks served in a plastic cup with the home team's mascot on it, filled less than halfway with soda, to ensure enough room for bourbon. Drinks served in a plastic cup or glass bottle... Oh, and down here, it's called COKE.
When National Anthem is Played:
NORTH: Stands are less than half full, and less than half of them stand up.
SOUTH: 100,000 fans, all standing, sing along in perfect four-part harmony. Who sits at a football game?
The Smell in the Air After the First Score:
NORTH: Nothing changes.
SOUTH: Fireworks, with a touch of bourbon. You'll smell the hickory smoke for days.
Commentary (Male):
NORTH: "Nice play."
SOUTH: "Dammit, you slow sumbitch - tackle him and break his legs."
Commentary (Female):
NORTH: "My, this certainly is a violent sport."
SOUTH: "Dammit, you slow sumbitch - tackle him and break his legs."
Announcers:
NORTH: Neutral and paid.
SOUTH: Announcer harmonizes with the crowd in the fight song, with a tear in his eye because he is so proud of his team.
After the Game:
NORTH: The stadium is empty way before the game ends.
SOUTH: Another rack of ribs goes on the smoker. While somebody goes to the nearest package store for more bourbon; planning begins for next week's game.
Aside from the fact they're two completely different games...
AMERICAN: Hardly cared about other than in North America.
PROPER: Massive following worldwide including a four-yearly global tournament involving many countries for which qualifying rounds begin years in advance and that is quite possibly the biggest sporting event on the planet.
;P
Quote:
quite possibly the biggest sporting event on the planet.
NASCAR.
American Football > SOCCER anyday.
Of course, Hockey (Real Hockey you wusses not field hockey) > Every other sport on the face of the planet.
I LOVE AMERICAN PARTY!!
(Also: American Football > Not American Football)
Quote:
NASCAR
What? Sound's like a hotwheels show to me...
And yeah, American Football may be a better sport than real football. But Rugby's better. Or Aussie football, which I swear is just a big fight...
Quote:
NASCAR.
Left-handed turns are not a sport. Rally races >>>>>> Nascar.
I agree about NASCAR sucking.
But it's watched by more people worldwide than soccer now.
I guess there's no accounting for taste.
"Okay honey, I just watched the grass grow and paint dry, now I'm going to go watch the NASCAR race!"
That list made me giggle alot, although the Big House at U of Michigan holds like... 100,000 people or something, way more than any of the big 10 schools in the south (except recent University of Texas games)