Thursday, August 4, 2011

Has Social Media Dampened My Excitement

This is the first football season that I can remember where I haven't been excited for it to start. I'm sure some years I've been more jacked up than others, but this year just seems different. It's like I don't care. So I started to think about why this could be.

Well after sitting on it for a few weeks, I came to the conclusion that I just got burned out on the excitement everyone on twitter and Facebook was showing. Now, nothing is wrong with this, but it seems since the end of the bowl game everyone has been counting down to the first game. Then over the last few months this has really ramped up. So bad that I have muted and unfollowed folks.

Nothing wrong with off season excitement, but it was becoming such a bore that it seemed many didn't live a life from January to September. I'm all for a cheer and a rah rah, but damn folks take a break. Now I do like reading the stories and thoughts about a season on many of the blogs I follow, those are not the rah rah rahs that I'm speaking of. It's the constant stream of fandom that sleeps and breathes on the actions of an 18 or 19 year old kid.

Another aspect that social media and the 24 hour news cycle has brought out is how many fans live in the past or the future. This is not 1980 folks. Get over it. Also take a break from the class of 2016. Just step back and enjoy what's in front of you.

I also feel that this over the top rah rah rah is being done to try to show others that they are the biggest fan. That they bleed the school colors the most. It's like a group of animals all showing each other up for the attention of some mythical sports overlord. Heck, they could make a show about it and have it on espn. Now this all could be for show in Social Media land and in real life they don't think about it, but I'm willing to bet that's not the case.

I have my school gear like everyone else, but I don't hunt out rival fans for debate or jump on every message board and scream at the top of my lungs how great my team is. Remember folks, there are other things out there to enjoy.

I've now reached a point that I have no idea of game times or who we play when. I'll leave it up to my espn app to tell me when games start. As I did several times last year. And truthfully, really didn't miss it.

This waning of excitement started last year and matches up with some changes in my life as well. So I think those changes opened my eyes to this rabid fandom and how much people live through it and how much it just didn't fit who I am.

Also since my life changes I've noticed a few other disturbing trends, but I'll save that for later.


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