Football is a pass-time for Americans everywhere. But here in Nebraska this is especially true because of the lack of mainstream entertainment. There are no pro sports teams and very few semi pro teams. There are no Broadway shows or Hollywood parties. For the most part to keep yourself busy you either have to live in Lincoln or Omaha because elsewhere there is a total lack of things to do. So what most Nebraskans do growing up is involve themselves in something, and one of the most prominent things in Nebraska is football. From kids to teens to adults Nebraskans learn to love the game. They love the strategy, the rivalries, and the history. In a way football embodies a lot of the characteristics that Nebraskans like to think they exhibit, such as hard work, toughness, and perseverance. Nebraskans then carry this love of the game with them as they grow older. And as they grow older they will inevitably leave high school and in most cases move on to college life, bringing with them the love of football. This is apparent here at Nebraska Wesleyan as you can see through the tradition of winning football teams and the support of the always-supportive Wesleyan fans. At the game this Saturday the stadium was packed and the team was playing their biggest rival, Doane. In rivalry games there is so much at stake, like bragging rights and pride. Neither team wants to be the team that lost to their rival. Players perform to their potential and the adrenaline flows more than normal. As I watched from the crow I could see a visible difference from previous games. Every single member on the team wanted the win and was willing to do anything to get it. The crowd was more tense and intertwined with the game than normal also. After the game, when Wesleyan had dominated Doane students and players alike joined in celebration for the love of the game and a big win over their longtime rival. Nowhere else in the world can you see the affliction for a sport quite like you can here in Nebraska.

Memorial Stadium

The house that Nebraska football built: Memorial Stadium. The Sea of Red, Tom Osborne Field, and Cook Pavilion: all of these are associated with one of college footballs premier venues, Memorial Stadium. A very impressive, imposing building in person, it towers over you as you look up to its upper levels of the skyboxes. During the week it looks unused because the stands are empty, not even a shadow of what they become on the weekend. During the weekend it is transformed into a city. During a game, when all of its capacity eighty some thousand seats are all filled, Memorial Stadium could be considered the third largest city in Nebraska behind Omaha and Lincoln. All of the rowdy Nebraska fans, called the best in all of college football, have good clean fun. The deafening roar drowns out all other sounds as they cheer in unison for their team. The smell of hotdogs and Valentino's pizza as vendors make their way down the crowded aisles. The taste of the traditional foods that you can only get at a real game is just one piece of the surrounding sensations. You may try and copy the food but without the complimentary sensations nothing is quite the same. The full experience is a combination of all of the senses mingling together, each doing their own part to give the stereotypical college football game experience. And only at Nebraska's Memorial Stadium can all of these things together at the same time. Other schools have their own memorial stadiums that they try to copy the real thing but nothing beats the original. When you can call yourself lucky and be able to attend one of the games and contribute to the experience that is the tunnel walk you will truly be changed. You will take this moment with you and everything else will have to be compared to this memory. And very few things, if any, will be able to be considered better or more memorable than this one part of history.