I had a great experience over the weekend… I got to go to my first Ohio State Football game.
What an experience! I mean all around- from fighting traffic all the way to finding tickets, to finally, getting to sit with people and cheer the Buckeyes on to victory against Michigan State. I have been to big stadium games before for other sports, like hockey and basketball, but never to a big college game like this one.
I went with a buddy of mine, and the first thing we did was to go to a tailgate party that was put on by a friend of mine’s law firm. I called them to see if they needed anything, and they said that they desperately needed some ice. So my friend and I did the noble thing and bought two huge bags of ice to take to the party. Little did we know that the party was right in the heart of campus, and we would have to park on Kenny Rd, about a 20 minute walk away. So with no coolers, and just our bare hands grasping the huge bags of ice we began our journey to the tailgate party.
It turns out that our noble efforts were not in vein- they were indeed out of ice, and the beer- precious like gold at a tailgate party- was indeed getting warm. The party threatened to unravel, for, even though I do not drink myself, nothing kills a celebration like warm beer. I saw the masses huddled around the keg- shivering- afraid- that all they were going to drink was room temperature beer. Tears were flowing, and the people tried to comfort each other. I looked into their sad eyes, and I said: “It will be OK.”
That is one cool warm beer.
Like two superheros, my friend and I triumphantly walked into the tailgate, giant blocks of ice on our shoulders, and weary from the trek from our parking spot, and having fought the crowd, tears of fear turned into tears of joy. Everything would be iced down- soda could be served cold- water was palatable again- and beer drinkers could drink their beers in peace. A cheer erupted from the crowd as we walked in- we had saved the day.
Having done our service for God and country, my friend and I now had another task on our hands- find tickets into the game. This would prove to be even a more difficult task than walking 2 miles holding bags of ice in our bare hands. It would mean doing battle with ticket scalpers.
I know now that buying scalped tickets is an art. It is an art of waiting- of cunning- of beating out the competition. So we waited out in front of the stadium until just before the kickoff, along with the other ravenous fans waiting to get a piece of Buckeye glory.
The dance began.
Scalper: Hey buddy, only 5000 bucks… it’s a great deal.
That dance was the dance between scalper and buyer- of scavenger and prey. Finally, after the kickoff the prices went down to an acceptable level- we got our tickets- we were in.
The stadium itself was filled with fans cheering. I sat with the students on the edge of a bench, hair blowing in the wind. I was right by the uprights, standing, cheering, whooping. I got to watch as the fantastic defense… well… defended, and the adequate offense ate some time up until the defense could get back on the field.
The first half was a spectacular performance by the buckeyes, stirring the crowd into a frenzy. The second half, not so much, putting Michigan State within one touchdown of Ohio State. I was nervous- shaking- tense. Turns out I just had to go to the bathroom (That is a whole separate adventure.)
Then it happened. Something I had waited for my whole life- HE came up into the stands. Brutus Buckeye. He was just a foot away from me… his giant head swaying in the wind- his giant eyes seemed to stare into my soul as he gave his famous thumbs up. I am sure it was tough to climb those stairs since his peripheral vision couldn’t have been all that good due to his giant head. Believe me Brutus- I feel your pain. I know all to well what it is to have a giant head.
This guy is nuts! HA! (Um… cause buckeyes are nuts… get it?)
I thought it was a great experience, and it supports something I said in another blog about human nature- that fundamentally we are relational in nature. We have a need to be social- to gather- to share in an experience. It is that relational nature that makes us human, as no other creature can interact like human beings can.
If I had stayed home and watched the game, I would have probably seen more. I would have seen instant replays, how the ball was snapped, and even a closeup of those interceptions in the second half that the quarterback threw. But there was something magical and energized about being in a crowd of people- sharing the experience with 105,000 strangers, who, for just a couple of hours, were my best friends. (Except for the Michigan State Marching band). See we need those moments together.
One of my sayings in life is that you can’t love what you don’t know. If you want to get to know someone you have to spend time with them. You can’t just email or talk on the phone- you have to be in their presence. That is becoming something that is easier to forget with technology that seems to connect us better with each other. It is the difference between watching a movie in my house and yours while talking on the phone vs. going to the theater together. We need REAL social interaction if we are to be fulfilled as humans.
It is hard to meet new people and become friends, simply because we aren’t really good at getting out of our shell. It is safe to meet them online but you don’t really know someone until you talk to them. It requires a risk- a risk of rejection- so a lot of people don’t take that risk, and we end up isolated on our myspace page with 10,000 fake friends. The payoff to the risk is a wonderful one- real social interaction- getting to know and love people for real and not in cyberspace.
One of my personal daily goals is to meet someone new- someone real- every day. I can’t tell you how many great stories there are out there, and how willing people are to tell you if you just get the gumption up to break the ice. Try it sometime- it is a lot better than any myspace page. Of course you run the risk of rejection- but it probably won’t happen as much as you think it might.
