GopherBulldog
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2015
- Messages
- 1,195
- Reaction score
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I graduated from the U of M in '94 and did not attend a single game while in school. The boys were playing in the Dome at the time and I was working my way through school. Graduated with significant debt. Blah, blah, blah. I don't think they could have gotten me to games while I was in school unless they gave the tickets away. Fast-forward... My 14-year-old son and I just returned to Atlanta from attending the Nebraska game. I've been a transplanted Minnesotan living in the South since 2005 and it was my first Gopher football game since 2003. I will not name that game as I know that does not go over well on this message board.
My son and I stayed at the Graduate Minneapolis which was home to at least several dozen Nebraska fans. Other than one short "Go Big Red" chant on Friday night, they were a very well-behaved group. Prior to the game on Saturday we went to Buffalo Wild Wings where my son met Tyrone Carter and I sang the rouser in front of a bar full of people wearing red (I thought Tyrone was going to be by my side for that but he stepped back as I stepped forward, go figure). We attended the Ski-u-Mah march where the crowd was extremely sparse and no more than one or two people deep. A member on this board invited us to join their tailgate. Given they had no idea who I was, I found this to be both flattering and pleasantly surprising. My son and I could not have had a better time. Truly great people that welcomed us into their group with open arms. I cannot say enough about their hospitality. We saw warmups and watched the band perform before the game.
As my son approached his teenage years, rather than buy him gifts for birthdays I started surprising him with a short trip for us while leaving his younger brothers and sister at home with mom. We've done the Wild, Timberwolves and Vikings. Based on my experience this week, the Gopher football experience is hands-down the best of the bunch. It's really a hidden gem.
My son was born at Abbot Northwestern Hospital, but aside from three infant months he has grown up entirely in Atlanta. He's never experienced 6+ hours in weather like we had on Saturday night. And I know he was cold all night long. Yet he refused to leave his seat until the players had cleared the field at the completion of the game. On the airplane ride home this afternoon I asked what he would like to do for our next trip. Without hesitation he said Gopher football.
The people that attend the games and the game experience feel much more "real" in my opinion than any of the professional sports. As a father, it also means something to me that the program is promoting things like the Casey O'Brien story. When PJF talks about the GPA of his players, not letting circumstances dictate your response and he comments in press conferences that his players are doing 1,100 hours of community service -- these messages matter to me knowing that my son is hearing them. I do not have the resources to have season tickets and fly up for every game. But I could definitely imagine attending one or two games every year until all my children graduate high school. I also wonder how many people out there in my situation would do the same if they were exposed to the total package that is Gopher football.
My son and I stayed at the Graduate Minneapolis which was home to at least several dozen Nebraska fans. Other than one short "Go Big Red" chant on Friday night, they were a very well-behaved group. Prior to the game on Saturday we went to Buffalo Wild Wings where my son met Tyrone Carter and I sang the rouser in front of a bar full of people wearing red (I thought Tyrone was going to be by my side for that but he stepped back as I stepped forward, go figure). We attended the Ski-u-Mah march where the crowd was extremely sparse and no more than one or two people deep. A member on this board invited us to join their tailgate. Given they had no idea who I was, I found this to be both flattering and pleasantly surprising. My son and I could not have had a better time. Truly great people that welcomed us into their group with open arms. I cannot say enough about their hospitality. We saw warmups and watched the band perform before the game.
As my son approached his teenage years, rather than buy him gifts for birthdays I started surprising him with a short trip for us while leaving his younger brothers and sister at home with mom. We've done the Wild, Timberwolves and Vikings. Based on my experience this week, the Gopher football experience is hands-down the best of the bunch. It's really a hidden gem.
My son was born at Abbot Northwestern Hospital, but aside from three infant months he has grown up entirely in Atlanta. He's never experienced 6+ hours in weather like we had on Saturday night. And I know he was cold all night long. Yet he refused to leave his seat until the players had cleared the field at the completion of the game. On the airplane ride home this afternoon I asked what he would like to do for our next trip. Without hesitation he said Gopher football.
The people that attend the games and the game experience feel much more "real" in my opinion than any of the professional sports. As a father, it also means something to me that the program is promoting things like the Casey O'Brien story. When PJF talks about the GPA of his players, not letting circumstances dictate your response and he comments in press conferences that his players are doing 1,100 hours of community service -- these messages matter to me knowing that my son is hearing them. I do not have the resources to have season tickets and fly up for every game. But I could definitely imagine attending one or two games every year until all my children graduate high school. I also wonder how many people out there in my situation would do the same if they were exposed to the total package that is Gopher football.
