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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/B1GSkyNorth on 2024-06-18 06:17:05+00:00.
The simplest and only way to enjoy the sport again is to just go to a game.
If you can’t make it to your team’s games for one reason or another, whether it be cost, distance, etc etc, go local. It doesn’t have to be a Big Ten or SEC had to be fun or to remind you why you like it. Hell, you might be better off if it isn’t. Ask yourself, with how much money these schools are making, have they made it any easier and more accessible to participate as a fan? Don’t abandon your primary fandom, but show them the same respect and appreciation they show you. Take a Saturday or two off and find the NAIA school up the road. As long as they’ve got fall foliage, a marching band, some silly trinket to play for and a parking lot to tailgate in, does anything else actually matter?
Which brings me to my second point, get dumber. The courtroom and boardroom dramas of the off-season are fun but aren’t you tired of the stomach ulcers? Remember, unless you are a mega booster, state legislator, or university president, there is nothing you can do besides support your team. Sure, they might be craven MBA-brained faceless suits hellbent on stripping the sport for all it’s worth before they get their golden parachutes, but there’s no democratic method for you to fix that. Its out of your hands. And there’s no coherent logical reasoning for why the previous level of corporate sponsorship and arbitrary exclusions is better outside of pure sentimentality and nostalgia; it feels gross, but what you grew up with was gross to your parents and grandparents too. So does it do you or your team any good to think that hard about private equity or even how 10-11 weeks of your schedule are set up? It really doesn’t matter. Reject everything that claims the sport is dying; it doesn’t have to if you know where to look. All you can do is support the players and coaches.
I am obsessed with this sport and its byzantine, arcane, unique history. I love the strange stories and how for some reason this sport is the best reflection of American society, economics and culture there is. I’m blessed that this is the bizarre autistic special interest I gravitated towards instead of something more expensive and niche like WarHammer or drugs. But the most important thing I came to learn (and it wasn’t fun) over the last season is I wont see a dime of benefit from whatever media deal, bowl payout or construction contracts for facilities, none of it - but I will always remember how I felt on these fall Saturdays.
PS: This advice works for anyone asking “how do I pick a team?” Seriously. Just go to a game. If you can’t be arsed to spend a Saturday outside being a participant in the community and atmosphere, you weren’t going to stick with being a fan anyways.