I’m not a band wagon fan but…

Sometimes I wish I was. 

If you aren’t a fan of football, you might want stop reading now because this post is about the disappointment of being a fan. In my case, it’s Clemson football. 


At the end of last season, Clemson was the underdog in the Chick-fil-a Bowl against LSU and we won. The win was big for us. Really big. We started off this season playing 5th ranked Georgia and we won. Again, the win was big. Last night we faced Florida State for another big game. 

Going into the game, Clemson was ranked 3rd and FSU was 5th so it was bound to be a good match up. ESPN Gameday even came back to Clemson for the second time this season. 

But Clemson proved everyone right  and I hate to even say it but pulled a “Clemson”. According to Urban Dictionary, “Clemsoning” is

“the act of delivering an inexplicably disappointing performance, usually within the context of a college football season.”

I’m not saying that Clemson “pulled a Clemson” because they lost but how badly they lost and bad they looked on the field. And I’m not saying that FSU shouldn’t have won. They are a good team and obviously deserved to win but Clemson proved to everyone who said that we were over-ranked at #3 that they were right.
  
The final score was 51-14 at home.  
 
They completely blew their chance at two conference titles by losing last night. 

Ouch.  

After the game last night, I was cold, tired and honestly, pissed. We tailgated for 12 hours for what? And to top it all off, everyone on my Facebook feed was all “I’m still a fan” or “still love my Tigers”. 

And you know what I wanted say? I wanted to say “Screw Clemson football” or “I’m through being a Clemson fan”. 

Last night, I wished that it was easy enough for me to just give up on Clemson so I wouldn’t have to face the disappointment. I thought how easy it would be to like a college team like Alabama who has multiple national championships.

But I can’t. 

See, Clemson means more to me than tailgating or a football game. Clemson is my alma mater and I’m very proud to be a Clemson alumnus. Because of Clemson, I was able to cheer in college, met some incredible people and be the first person in my family to earn a college degree. They also happen to be my employer and a source of my livelihood. Clemson is a captivating place and I am honored to be more than fan.

Obviously, I still love the Tigers. Obviously, I’m always going to be a fan and I think this should go without saying for all fans. That’s what makes you true fan…you take the good AND the bad. 

Is it okay to have these feelings? I think so. It’s only human nature to feel disappointed. Without disappointment, the good times wouldn’t be as sweet. At the end of the day, it was important for me to take a step back and realize that being a Clemson fan encompasses so much more than just the football team. 

Anyway…The Walking Dead is tonight and Cory got the night off! We are gonna grab some dinner and curl up on the couch together for the first time in a week or so. 

Happy Sunday!