There are many Melting pots across America because this country, in and of itself, is a massive melting pot. I have always been fascinated with how people come together to watch football. If you have a team because you went to school there, you find a place to go. If you have a team that is based on the state where you live, you find a place to go. If you just pick a team to root for, you find a place to go. Can we talk about going to a place that will be good for you to watch football?
Find your team
We have a massive number of people in America who picked a college football team because of where they live.
You will see kids picking between Auburn and Alabama when they are in elementary school, and you see the same thing in Georgia where kids pick between UGA and Tech. I chose Tech because it seemed cool. They won that shared national title in 1990, and it appeared to be a wise choice. I have a cousin who recently passed that went to Tech and loved to needle my uncle who is a Georgia fan. They watch in packs. The Tech people are together, and the Georgia people are together. It should be noted that I also love Colorado football, and that is a product of who they were in the 90s and early 2000s.
Find your place
I know this family where one of the parents went to grad school out in Arizona, and the dad asked me if I had been to this particular watering hole not that far from the school where I was teaching.
I said yeah, and he told me it was the local Arizona hang out because the guy ran it went to Arizona. I had no idea. You might not think that there is a place for your people, but there is. There is some bar or restaurant where you can watch everything from Notre Dame football to Florida State in good company.
It should be a pleasant game
The fan hate is a little bit too much for me when we are getting on each other about who pulls for what school. You can jokingly hate each other, but you better be able to sit at the bar and have a good time. I remember being at Disney World for the Iron Bowl one year, and I was on the train around the Magic Kingdom with my kids.
I was checking the score, and there were two other couples. They were poking fun at each other happily while I gave them updates because one couple went to Auburn and the other went to Alabama. That was funny, and they invited me to get a drink and watch the end of the game afterward. That is how college football is supposed to work in America. Find your melting pot, do not be a jerk, and enjoy your team.
