Another season of college football is over. All the school paraphernalia goes back into the closet. Across Texas and the nation people who weren’t on speaking terms get back to work together. The madness is once again put on hold until late August.
I am not immune to the charms of the school rivalry but I have to admit that the flame of competitiveness has dimmed somewhat over the decades. I remember a particular game in my freshman year. We were playing Arkansas at the end of the season and despite the best efforts of the team and the yelling of the fans we came up short on the scoreboard at the end.
We had a hollow feeling inside. Stunned is an inadequate descriptor. We could not come to terms with the idea that we could lose and the campus seemed listless for the next few days.
On the other hand after victories the school felt alive. Even the most studious amongst the school body would be energized by a victory.
After graduation I rarely went back to the campus for games but I still followed the team over the years but little by little I lost that innate excitement and nervous energy that I used to feel during games in college.
I am still thrilled by victories but I now take losses with a longer perspective. I know that it’s not the end of the world.
So the mania goes back into the closet until the Fall. I will look forward to it of course but it won’t make or break my year as it used to.
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