High school games were a Friday night tradition, of figuring out whose parents would drive there and whose parents would drive home. Chanting crazy cheers and watching the guys you had known for a few years kill some other team was the highlight of every weekend. But when you get to college it doesn't just have to be a weekend thing, you might not know the guys on the team personally, but still for some reason, college games just seem and feel better.
1. Mostly everyone sings the Alma Mater because it's their school.
At UC, we start the games by singing our alma mater and the national anthem. Even though I didn't know the alma mater for a while, they put it up on the screens so we could cheat. It was nice. Everyone puts their arms around each other, so even if you don't know the person next to you, you become one student body. And it's pretty cool.
2. Student section is huge.
I don't even know the number of students that attend each game, but it gets crazy. It's enough to crowd surf our mascot to the top of the section without ever worrying that more people need to be in a specific spot. Even on the coldest, ugliest days, we all still will be there.
3. Your Parents Don't Have to Pick You Up From the Game.
While I live on campus, some people still commute to games. And chances are you've had your license for a few years. So not having to wait for your parents to pick you up is great. Walking to and from the games from your dorm is easier, and makes the chances of finding people to go with less difficult.
4. Huge Stadiums.
If you go to a big college, the stadium shows it. I like UC's because it's in the middle of campus, and can hold so many people. Some colleges don't have the luxury, but the games are still fun regardless of the stadium size. But it's really fun when a huge crowd is there, and the seats are completely full.
5. Mascots.
The Bearcat. If you said it and pointed, everyone on UC's campus would know exactly who to expect. What he was wearing, Jean shorts to a full out football uniform, that can't be predetermined. But everyone loves the Bearcat. The mascots at any school tend to be funny and amusing and get the crowd going, even if the game isn't going so well. So they keep the crowd pumped and often get angry when all else fails.
6. All the Half Time and Commercial Shows.
Whether you go to OSU and your half time show consists of the amazing marching band, or you have different groups that come out to put on shows, half time is where you get to sit and talk to the people around you. During commercial breaks if your game is on TV, they usually do little games or something. Our dance team always does really cool dances, and the cheerleaders are always fun to watch. So even when the game isn't playing, you're never bored.
7. Jumbo tron
Whether the camera is just moving around and catching glimpses of people or they're doing the "kiss cam", it's always fun to be on the jumbo tron! You might see yourself or someone you know, and it makes it easier to see what's going on in the game, where you might not get to in high school because you probably don't have a screen showing the plays. The replays are nice because the crowd will reinforce their anger of what happened during the game.
8. You get to play teams you've never heard of but still get excited.
Whether you play a big or small team, you get broadcasted on ESPN or you don't, it's so much fun to cheer your team to victory. In high school, you play teams around you that you've heard of your whole life, where the teams that they play in college might be from across the country. Either way, it's a fun time and you always find a rival. In high school, typically you play the same teams in every sport, where in college not every school has a certain sport. So for UC, although our rivals for football changes year to year, our basketball rival is normally the crosstown competition, Xavier.
So although high school games were fun, and you knew more people, college games are somehow just better. The atmosphere is so much cooler. You might not know anyone on the football team, but you can really feel like you belong in a group, or crowd, of people you don't really know.
And finally, go Bearcats!
