If you are a fan of college football, particularly SEC football, you have probably heard of Stingray, the Mississippi State football enthusiast. Steve Ray, better known by his fans as Stingray, is one of the most diehard supporters of any college football team in the country. Known for his team-colored polos and his ability to rile up fellow state fans with a cowbell, Stingray has gained a significant following on social media and has recently made several appearances on ESPN’s “The Paul Finebaum Show.” Unlike many of the other sports rants that go viral on YouTube, Stingray’s are always filled with optimism and hopefulness rather than the profanity-laced frustration of other fans.
However, as with everything, the internet found a way to ruin it. After a devastating loss to rival Alabama, internet haters decided to go after Stingray to such an extent that he decided to call it quits. That was it, one of the last great things we had to look forward to each week was gone because people just have to put hate out into the internet.
But wait, here comes Stingray, just one day later, out of retirement, to give the fans what they want. The overwhelming support from fans and the love for Mississippi State football was too great to keep him away. Despite the vile, disgusting comments, Stingray is back to ring that cowbell and get everyone riled up for a football team no one ever had a reason to watch before.
Why did Stingray come back? Because he loves Mississippi State football and is not going to let the haters get in the way of that. He is going to do what he loves and focus on the positives instead of the negatives
It seems like every day I log onto Facebook or Twitter to see outrage in some form or fashion. Every day, it's the same people reacting to some comment that was taken completely out of context. Every day, it’s these people who are outraged or insulted by someone they have never spoken to nor will they ever meet. Yet, here is Stingray, standing in front of hundreds of people just spewing hate in his direction and taking it. Not because it doesn’t affect him, but because he knows how to focus on the fun things in life and not look for a reason to be upset.
We should all be like Stingray Steve and focus on what we love without letting others get to us.
