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A Ute in Cougar Land
Posted by amandadickson on November 14, 2005 at 07:28 AM | Permalink
It's a tough week to be a Utah fan - in general - and especially when you work at the home of the Cougars, KSL Newsradio. My coworkers like to make it tough on me this week. They leave blue balloons in my office so thick I can't find my phone. They put blue and white streamers all over the broadcast booth so distracting I can't see Grant. They paint BYU letters in huge paint on my windows facing 300 West. They offer me blue and white cookies shaped like footballs (OK - I don't mind that one.)
I'm one of those strange ducks who cheers for the Cougars when they're not playing my Utes. I know, some of my Crimson Club friends are cringing just reading that, but I can't help it. I want all our Utah players, including Utah State and BYU and Utah and Weber State, to do well. In fact, after having a few players in my classes when I taught at the U, I now really feel for the players who will lose on Saturday regardless of which color they're wearing.
Because the thing is, we put so much pressure on them, so much pressure, that the players who lose carry this with them sometimes for the rest of their lives. I'm just a wussy enough Mommy to feel glad for the players who win, be they Cougs or Utes, and so sad for the players who lose. Losing carries such weight, such self-criticism and doubt. Winning carries such joy and self-confidence.
My pollyanna wish is that all of these young men who have worked their guts out for years to get to this moment could know that as long as they leave it all on the field, we are proud of them. We are proud of their efforts, pround of their training and their sportsmanship, proud of their passion. We who are blessed enough to live in Utah, a state with terrific college teams to root for, are proud of them as my father always says, "win, lose or draw."
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