Sports In Florida Is No Longer...

Years ago, when I first moved to South Florida it was easy to be a fan of the local teams especially if you enjoy watching football like I do. At that time, Miami was the only NFL team and for colleges we had The Hurricanes, Florida and Florida State. Sure, there were others but the big three was what it was all about. Back then people couldn’t care less about Ohio State, Michigan or Notre Dame. We tolerated fans from out of state SEC schools because they were Southerners like us but basically every sports bar was a Florida bar in one form or another. Out of state fans were rare and often Ostracized Once or twice a year we’d get inundated with Bills and Patriots fans who were easy to spot in their gaudy clothes and pink-white skin, usually burn to a crisp from too much beach time. No one wanted to even be around Jets fans. Just the mention of the New York Jets would throw many of my friends and neighbors into fits.

My how times changed, like most things in life and in sports yes they have definitely changed! If you’re a Dolphins fan these days not only, are you a minority but in many south Florida sports bars your life may be in danger. Forget about watching local teams like the Gators or The Seminoles if Ohio State is playing, God forbid the Buckeyes fans who drove their camper down to Florida should miss even one play! It seems like Florida has become the Mecca for obnoxious Bills and Patriots fans! Please Mr. President, can we deport them too?

Ok, now that my rant is over let’s get back to the topic at hand, The College Football Playoffs. After a New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day showdown we’re finally left with the fateful four teams. Notre Dame, Texas, Ohio State and Penn State. To be honest I didn’t have any of these teams going the distance to The Championship. My team has been Oregon all year and to be even more up front about it The Ducks getting destroyed by Ohio State cost me not only some money but some trash talking bragging rights as well. All in all, the games leading up to this weekend were well played and exciting. Texas vs. Arizona State became an instant classic and wins by Notre Dame and Penn state assured us the three will be a minority coaching in the National Championship game. At this point I would have to say that Notre Dame is my favorite but Ohio State looks strong as well and after a literal resurrection after the Michigan debacle nothing would surprise me. 

Regardless of who wins or loses I’m looking forward to some great football games. I think we all need it. My mood was definitely dampened during New Years after horrible incident in New Orleans. I think it was the right call to play the game at the sugar Bowl. I feel it’s important to show the world that we can’t be broken in spirit regardless of how we’re attacked. 

So, in the end I’ll cheer for football this weekend no matter what the scores are. My team might not win it all and as usual I’ll probably lose some bling but I’ll be happy just to watch. Now if someone could do something about those pesky Buffalo Bills fans invading South Florida every year, I’d appreciate it!! and good of course luck and as I always Say Play on and listen for my podcast Picks this Thursday!!!

Kev

Kev's Corner Our Staffs Weekly Sports perspective

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