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“Jed’s Best Seat Buzz” |
“Virginia is for lovers.” We’ve all seen them … those simple words, that simple message stretched across the rear fender of a car. Perfect bumper sticker material.
If only summing up the state of Virginia Football were so easy.
Being a Virginia Football fan these days is a conflicting, confusing exercise, full of emotions that don’t fit neatly on a bumper sticker that you can purchase for $.99 at the Bookstore tomorrow night.
We’re fighting each other (at least some of us are). But beyond – and perhaps worse than – that, we’re fighting our inner selves.
Post-Maryland debacle, the glass is half full. Or is it half empty? A growing faction of Wahoo nation sees it both ways. Because Virginia isn’t just for lovers … or haters. It’s for lovers and haters. The glass isn’t half empty or half full. It’s both.
How so? Well, let’s separate “team” from “program.”
On the surface, they seem similar enough. One fits within the other. We often apply them interchangeably without noticing the difference (at least I do, all the time). But for some schizophrenic, split-identity Hoos, the Grand Canyon might as well stand between the two.
Think “team” and what’s your emotional response? Perhaps Jameel Sewell darting through the Maryland defense, his uncanny vision and slick wheels symbolizing the immense promise that lies on the not-so-distant horizon? Or maybe Chris Long – teeth grinding, jersey tattered, bulling his way into an opposing backfield on sheer will alone?
Whatever your visual reference is, chances are it’s positive. Almost always is. The team may be 2-5, but the personalities and attitudes that comprise that team keep us clapping and chanting as loudly as ever. They’re 19- and 20-year old kids – fragile, impressionable, excitable – and head-over-heels enthralled with wearing their school’s colors on an autumn Saturday. And for that, we cheer, heartily. Good for them, and good for us.
Now let’s play word association with “program.” Slightly different emotional trigger? Even if it isn’t met with harsh words, it’s almost certainly followed by a series of vexing questions. You know, the one’s you’ve heard so many times before. The questions that have become a steady drumbeat at the front door of the McCue Center:
- Why are we rebuilding in year number six?”
- “Why has the coaching staff suffered so much turnover?”
- “Is Al Groh the right man for the gig?”
- “Has the fan base turned on him?”
Need I continue? Didn’t think so.
But the point is made.
Tomorrow night, I’m betting that thousands upon thousands show up at Scott Stadium backing the team while badmouthing the program (read: coaching staff) and thinking they’re well within their right to do so.
Maybe they are. Maybe.
It’s one thing to question a play call (and yes, there were some suspect ones against the Terps), bemoan the loss of a recruit, and ask the difficult questions. That’s the birthright of any fan. Call it intense analysis by passionate investors. And by all means, do it.
When criticism borders on piling on, however, that’s a different dynamic. That’s called a vendetta, or “turning” on the program. To believe that one can thumb his/her nose at the program while rallying behind the team with no collateral damage is foolhardy. The team affects the program. The program affects the team. Your actions are tied to both.
While it’s not the fans’ responsibility to worry about the feelings and sensibilities of the student-athletes (we’ll leave that to the coach/psychologists), it is their job to be mindful of their best interests.
These impressionable teens may be embroiled in their football, classes, and Playstation, but they’re not impervious to the arrow slinging on message boards. They notice it. They can say it doesn’t affect them. They’re bluffing. It does. And it affects the morale surrounding both a team and program.
So, my plea is this: Please stop. This “team versus program” schizophrenia is giving me separation anxiety. I’m a firm believer that it does neither the program nor the team any good. Plus, can you truly wear the colors, tailgate until you’re orange and blue in the face, and holler your lungs out with a clear conscience? Can you really keep on being Dr. Jekyll in the stands and Mr. Hyde in the parking lots? Or will the two at some point hopelessly intersect where you’re bringing too much Hyde into the game?
Ask the tough questions. Put the program under the microscope. Let your voice be heard. But don’t take it a step further. Don’t turn on the Hoos. Especially smack-dab in the middle of the season. That does neither the team nor the program any good.
Virginia Football may not always be for lovers, but there’s no place for haters.
Jed Williams is the host of the Charlottesville sports radio show “The Best Seat in the House,” which airs daily from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on WINA 1070 AM. He also hosts a WINA pre-game show on Saturdays and is the former sideline reporter of the Cavaliers. If you want to call the show, you can call (434)-977-1070 or (800)-688-9462. Williams’ column will run for the rest of football season on Wednesdays on The Sabre.com.
