I had an article written for this week; however, after watching the women's Final Four game I decided this would be a more passionate topic for me. Both of my parents went to MSU, and after growing up spending Saturdays in Starkville, I decided it was the place for me too.
The MSU women's basketball team had never before advanced to the Final Four, so the game was a celebration in itself. I think all bulldog fans alike were thrilled to watch the team do something they had never done before. It was a close game throughout but the fact that it went into overtime made it even more suspenseful. And the fact that the team won by Morgan Williams, a name well known by fans, making a buzzer beater. I didn't sit down to write this article about basketball but about the amazing school unity that goes along with it.
Mississippi State University athletics continue to beat the odds set before it. After many a losing season, in 2014 MSU rose to number 1 in the SEC: something we had not done in a very long time. And everyone in Starkville and anyone who had ever passed through rejoiced. Schools like Alabama who have stellar athletic programs talk about their school's unity but I don't think any school can be as close as Mississippi State is. Being the underdog has a way of pushing fans into a sort of family. A fan base that cries and celebrates with the players on their team. This must sound pretty sappy to someone who isn't a bulldog fan, but I think anyone who is can understand the incredible bond I'm talking about. Sports may be a trivial thing to bring people together with, but it does an amazing job of doing just that.
As my family sat around the living room, way past the time we're usually in our bed, and watched Morgan Williams sink the shot, I felt such an overwhelming sense of joy. My mom and dad love their alma mater so much that they would cry over a basketball game. I haven't even graduated from there and I felt myself tear up. It represents what MSU is as a college: a family. Whether it be basketball or football we have an amazing way of coming together to support our college. I just watched a video of the baseball team watching the final seconds of the game and reacting the same way my family did. It's a sense of pride like no other when a school you have supported and loved for so long wins and can only be described from experience.
Vic Schaefer picked up Morgan Williams after her game winning shot and I couldn't help but smile at it all. I cannot wait to attend this school next year and to be apart of the community it brings. Oh and it helped that I got to see Dak too.
