I had better say up front that as a student at ISU in the 1980s, I attended very few Sycamore football games, so I don’t really have a leg to stand on, and I still feel guilty about it.
Perhaps this is part of my penance. I can say though, that somehow, years and (supposedly) maturity have produced something.
One thing it has produced – since my move to Colorado in 1994, along with my homesick fondness for all things Indiana – is a renewed appreciation for my alma mater and the football program. It is finally fun to see ISU having a good season, and Coach Trent Miles is right – the community ought to go and support their team. If Terre Haute has ever been accused of apathy (NO!), let this be the time to turn that around. You’re in the very midst of your opportunity – don’t miss it. Games will always be lost. But they will also – eventually – be won. The Sycamores have proven that this fall, and in fact, we’ve seen it coming for two seasons now; their talent and performance have begun to make observers around the state and conference take more and more notice. And they’re likely to continue to improve. Pride, emotion, devotion, success, failure – all things wax and wane. I think it’s in the Bible; Ecclesiastes, I’m pretty sure. Don’t get yourself labeled as a fair-weather friend like most of us did in the late ‘70’s when Larry Bird rudely woke us up and led the basketball team to the pinnacle, and then at his moving on to even greater achievements, we moved on (or back) too.
I root for the Colts now that I live in Denver. I also root for the Broncos, but right now, by the way, the Broncos are reminding me of the Colts when they first arrived in Indy, and how they performed for many years post. They were not good. In fact, when the Broncos are good, we tend to affectionately call them the Broncos, but when they bad (now) many refer to them as the “Denver Donkeys” (granted, it’s easier for a non-native).
You like the colts now, don’tcha ….now that they’re winning? Well, as the popular saying of the past couple of weeks goes, “Man up.” Nobody likes – or respects – a fair-weather friend. The Colts don’t have a bad name for bad times as far as I know, but they have had them, and will again at some point. Such is the ebb and flow of life. Get used to it. I’m pretty sure that’s in the Bible somewhere too.
This past Saturday I listened to the Nebraska-Mizzou game on the radio. Attendance was around 83,000 – again sold out – every year since time began (1962, actually – 289 games). 83,000 is 80,000 more people at the game than last week’s ISU game and 20,000 more than are in Terre Haute in total. Now, I know we’re not quite comparing apples to apples; there are many more real factors to consider. Those fans are what you call devoted. I know we’re not those guys, but do we really want to be who we have been so far?
Coach Miles was right to chastise the Sycamore community – and if you’re in Terre Haute area, that’s you. Personally I feel chastised.
Heck, there are loyal Sycamore fans all over the country. Many of them even get together at alumni functions and give money to the university, and rightly so, regardless of where they now live. It might be a matter of good feelings and memories, but for those who are serious, it’s also a practical matter of doing their part to sustain a good, right, and important thing – a vital institution.
You can do it with your money, and you can do it with your butt. I’m with Trent. Go, buy a ticket, sit there and watch the game and cheer. It’s likely to be a good game.
Michael E Conner
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