I spent the better part of the first couple weeks of school educating her on the basic concepts and rules of football and before I knew it the fateful day came and we left to tailgate before we entered the stadium. I assured her this was a must before a game as it was tradition to
experience this, that all true football fans participated in this wonderful pre-game ritual. I asked her before the game if she was experiencing any anticipation or growing excitement. She said that she was getting excited and further explained that it wasn’t an every day excitement but one that was a legitimate enthusiastic excitement that was built upon by the atmosphere of the numerous fans and gatherings of people to celebrate the special occasion of the game. There was no shortage of colorful fans and flamboyant costumes. People with red and white face and or body paint frequently passed us by. The scent of many barbecues cooking at the same time reached us, each with their own secret recipe that plays its own part in the tradition of the game day. Anything from 
chicken to pheasant or duck could be seen simmering on the plentiful barbecues. The different sights and smells mingled together to create the total experience that is the essential Nebraska Cornhusker football game.As the time for the kickoff approached we made our way down to the stadium, following the growing throng of people. The excitement and the buzz of the crowd was almost tangible. You could hear the roar of the crowd from outside the stadium blocks away. The feeling was contagious. As you scanned the crowd you could see hundreds of eager faces waiting to see the football game. There was no sense of calm or organization in the crowd, just a mob of people all assaulting the gate trying to get inside.
After pushing your way past the people and getting into the actual stadium you climb the causeway to get to your seats. Walking through the doorway you enter the stadium itself and you see the cause of the roar that could be heard from far away. 
The Nebraska crowd is frequently called the, “Sea of Red” which was immediately evident as you first view the filling stadium. A giant bowl of red writhing and moving, all congregated for the same purpose. It was and is a truly impressive sight. As we made our way to the seats we encountered boisterous fans that had been there almost hours before the game to watch the players warm up. It was a seasonably warm day with the sun over head creating the, “perfect” weather for a football game. Not too much wind and sunny, but not too sunny. After we had gotten to our seats the fans had reached a feverous state. The teams had both retreated to the locker rooms for the last preparations before the game. As the visiting team came back on the field you could hear a chorus of negative yells, consisting of some choice words and cursing, which was entirely opposite from when the home team, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, came out to the traditional tunnel walk. The tunnel walk is also a tradition at Nebraska, which consists of the team emerging from the locker room via a tunnel to a traditional song chosen to get the team pumped up and the fans loud and cheering. Once again the crowd stood on its feet to cheer for the athletes that made up their team.
Finally the game began and the athletes began to showcase their talents in the game that pitted the two teams against each other. As the game went on the vendors came up and down the aisles to sell their variety of delicacies. They sold everything from Runza sandwiches to Valentino’s pizza, both of which are kind of unique to Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium. The different smells of each reached you only to tempt you into purchasing the vendors’ goods. I asked my friend what she thought of the fans that surrounded us. She was amazed of the enthusiasm evident by the continued yelling and cheering. She also remarked on the crowd’s ability to go from yelling to booing in the matter of seconds. She was also astounded by the vast knowledge of the fans as they conversed with each other about many different aspects of the games and commented on the different actions of the players that took a trained eye to see. They could spot a player doing something wrong from over a hundred yards away, or see a player lined up where he shouldn’t have been. Also they displayed their knowledge by discussing the different formations the teams ran or the different personnel used during the course of the game. Even with her limited knowledge of the game she managed to grasp when something good happened and joined in with the rest of the crowd to stand and cheer. Perhaps she just stood and cheered or booed when the rest of the fans did.
My friend then commented on the athletic ability and the physical stature of the players. She found it astonishing how fast these people could run and how high they could jump. She had never seen so many athletes with this level of agility and physical prowess at the same time. I explained how they practiced and trained extensively so they could compete at the level that they do. Then I explained how the different football programs recruit players for their various talents, which depending on their skill dictates what they do throughout the course of the game. She then commented on how she thought this was similar to the ownership and business of people. How the athletes were being used by the Universities to further themselves. Then I told her how the athletes were still students that received scholarships to reimburse them for the time that they put in to this pass time, that is college football.
As the game drew to a close and some people began to leave the stadium, it seemed as if the bowl that was the, “Sea of Red” was being drained of its contents. I asked my friend if she had ever experienced anything like this before. She said she had been to a high school football game where there were only a couple of thousand people rather than over eighty thousand people.
As we left the stadium we encountered some of those that were for the opposing team. The exhaustion could be felt among the fans that come from cheering and yelling for multiple hours. After this, she commented on how the hostility between the fans between the two teams extended only as far as the stadium walls. That we were all people and that it was good that we didn’t let a game come between us.
Growing up in Nebraska I have been privileged with the ability to follow Nebraska football. I grew up in the hay days of Tom Osborne and the option attack. I followed through the national championships of the 1990’s and multiple undefeated seasons. I followed as a dedicated husker fan. I remember my first husker game and how it was the culmination of my fanaticism of the football program of my dreams. I remember the sights and smells of that day; I can still hear the roar and chants of the crowd as they cheered on their team. I remember this as I existed in my own little part of the world, and to me, nobody else could possibly not know about Nebraska football. In my naïve little mind I assumed that everyone had to at least heard about this huge part of my life. As I’ve grown older I have become less and less ignorant of the many different lifestyles led by people around the world and have been able to cope with the fact that people don’t have to have the same interests that I do. I just feel that college football, in particular the Nebraska Cornhuskers, should be an experience that everyone should have the chance to take part in.
As the day came to a close I felt that I had perhaps changed the view of one person and gave them a gift that they could take with them and keep with them their whole life. Hopefully they can keep this memory and experience, and maybe share it with others so they can see the wonderful game that can bring so many people together for the same purpose.
The Nebraska crowd is frequently called the, “Sea of Red” which was immediately evident as you first view the filling stadium. A giant bowl of red writhing and moving, all congregated for the same purpose. It was and is a truly impressive sight. As we made our way to the seats we encountered boisterous fans that had been there almost hours before the game to watch the players warm up. It was a seasonably warm day with the sun over head creating the, “perfect” weather for a football game. Not too much wind and sunny, but not too sunny. After we had gotten to our seats the fans had reached a feverous state. The teams had both retreated to the locker rooms for the last preparations before the game. As the visiting team came back on the field you could hear a chorus of negative yells, consisting of some choice words and cursing, which was entirely opposite from when the home team, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, came out to the traditional tunnel walk. The tunnel walk is also a tradition at Nebraska, which consists of the team emerging from the locker room via a tunnel to a traditional song chosen to get the team pumped up and the fans loud and cheering. Once again the crowd stood on its feet to cheer for the athletes that made up their team. Finally the game began and the athletes began to showcase their talents in the game that pitted the two teams against each other. As the game went on the vendors came up and down the aisles to sell their variety of delicacies. They sold everything from Runza sandwiches to Valentino’s pizza, both of which are kind of unique to Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium. The different smells of each reached you only to tempt you into purchasing the vendors’ goods. I asked my friend what she thought of the fans that surrounded us. She was amazed of the enthusiasm evident by the continued yelling and cheering. She also remarked on the crowd’s ability to go from yelling to booing in the matter of seconds. She was also astounded by the vast knowledge of the fans as they conversed with each other about many different aspects of the games and commented on the different actions of the players that took a trained eye to see. They could spot a player doing something wrong from over a hundred yards away, or see a player lined up where he shouldn’t have been. Also they displayed their knowledge by discussing the different formations the teams ran or the different personnel used during the course of the game. Even with her limited knowledge of the game she managed to grasp when something good happened and joined in with the rest of the crowd to stand and cheer. Perhaps she just stood and cheered or booed when the rest of the fans did.My friend then commented on the athletic ability and the physical stature of the players. She found it astonishing how fast these people could run and how high they could jump. She had never seen so many athletes with this level of agility and physical prowess at the same time. I explained how they practiced and trained extensively so they could compete at the level that they do. Then I explained how the different football programs recruit players for their various talents, which depending on their skill dictates what they do throughout the course of the game. She then commented on how she thought this was similar to the ownership and business of people. How the athletes were being used by the Universities to further themselves. Then I told her how the athletes were still students that received scholarships to reimburse them for the time that they put in to this pass time, that is college football.
As the game drew to a close and some people began to leave the stadium, it seemed as if the bowl that was the, “Sea of Red” was being drained of its contents. I asked my friend if she had ever experienced anything like this before. She said she had been to a high school football game where there were only a couple of thousand people rather than over eighty thousand people.
As we left the stadium we encountered some of those that were for the opposing team. The exhaustion could be felt among the fans that come from cheering and yelling for multiple hours. After this, she commented on how the hostility between the fans between the two teams extended only as far as the stadium walls. That we were all people and that it was good that we didn’t let a game come between us.
Growing up in Nebraska I have been privileged with the ability to follow Nebraska football. I grew up in the hay days of Tom Osborne and the option attack. I followed through the national championships of the 1990’s and multiple undefeated seasons. I followed as a dedicated husker fan. I remember my first husker game and how it was the culmination of my fanaticism of the football program of my dreams. I remember the sights and smells of that day; I can still hear the roar and chants of the crowd as they cheered on their team. I remember this as I existed in my own little part of the world, and to me, nobody else could possibly not know about Nebraska football. In my naïve little mind I assumed that everyone had to at least heard about this huge part of my life. As I’ve grown older I have become less and less ignorant of the many different lifestyles led by people around the world and have been able to cope with the fact that people don’t have to have the same interests that I do. I just feel that college football, in particular the Nebraska Cornhuskers, should be an experience that everyone should have the chance to take part in.
As the day came to a close I felt that I had perhaps changed the view of one person and gave them a gift that they could take with them and keep with them their whole life. Hopefully they can keep this memory and experience, and maybe share it with others so they can see the wonderful game that can bring so many people together for the same purpose.
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