Ladies and gentlemen, greatness has finally arrived.
Today marks a moment that serves as a yearly reminder that America is the greatest country on the planet and no other country comes close:
The first full slate of college football on a beautiful Saturday in the USA.
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There are a lot of great things to celebrate about the glorious country we all call home. Freedom, the Second Amendment, the greatest military in the history of the world, gorgeous nature from coast to coast, cheap domestic light beer and other examples that would take me a month to list.
However, college football holds a unique place in this country. It represents something we should all hold near and dear to our hearts:
It’s the one sport that brings people together in a way no other sport does. Yes, the NFL and other sports leagues unite fans, but not in the way college football does.
This sport is rooted in traditions that span generations and have endured through two world wars, economic booms, depressions and social strife. Most importantly, it binds family and friends.
Stop and think about it for a second. Why do you cheer for your college football team? The answer is almost always the same: You either attended the university or your parents or grandparents raised you to be a fan of that team.
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In my case, it’s both. I was raised in a house whose emotions were directly tied to the success of the Wisconsin Badgers, and I later (barely) graduated from the University of Wisconsin. You couldn’t get me to cheer for a different team at gunpoint, and I make no apologies for setting my schedule around Wisconsin football.
You think the communists in North Korea have this kind of freedom? Not a chance.
This day is about celebrating the fact America is better than every other place on this planet, and you’ll find us dead before you find us regretting it or apologizing for it. It’s never going to happen.
Today, millions of Americans will gather at tailgates, bars and at homes with one goal and one goal only:
Supporting their favorite college football team.
It almost makes me a bit misty-eyed even thinking about it.
While much of the rest of the world eats bad food and settles for watching soccer or whatever they watch in other countries, Americans will celebrate our country at its finest with college football, cold beer, hot brats and burgers and time with friends and family. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Raise a toast and enjoy an epic first full Saturday of college football.
P.S.: I am fully ready to be emotionally destroyed by the Badgers again.
