The last sports-related post I made was a steroids argument laden with premises that turned out to be spoon-fed into my mind by Bill Simmons. The man is good at what he does, but I don't like being his mouthpiece, and luckily, this topic is way off his radar. I write today concerning the end of an era, the end of Florida State football as we have always known it.
The entire season was plagued with rumblings of Bobby's being unfit for command. Every loss would bring renewed vigor to the arguments that he should step aside or be pushed. Throughout this I was outraged, because as usual Florida sports fans were demonstrating their pathetic "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately" attitudes to an entirely new and classless level. Even talking about forcing out the man who single-handedly brought the program from complete obscurity to two national championships and more than a decade of unrivaled dominance simply because the team's performance FOLLOWING that period of unrivaled dominance has been an unavoidable downturn was unconscionable in my eyes. Yet here we are, weeks before the Gator Bowl, the 28th bowl in a row to which Bowden has led us (longest active streak in the nation), and the unthinkable has happened. The university, one that holds its storied reputation and national prominence ONLY because of Bowden, has forced him out, a single year shy of the coach's own professional aspirations. This lack of grace and appreciation was met with the unflappable dignity to which Bowden responds to all things, but I was and am in a state of outrage. I ask you, how many wins will Bobby's departure lead to next year? 4 more wins than last year would give us a 10 win season and a shot at the ACC title. But is that even likely? And is it worth it? Are 4 extra wins worth marring the close of an unprecedented career that has spanned over 350, the lion's share of which were for the previously anonymous Seminoles? I'm at a loss.
I have read plenty of arguments that it was time for Bobby to step aside. Most of them are readily apparent and obvious, and there is no need to mention them, mainly because they are all true. But that is not the point I am arguing. I don’t claim that Bobby had outlasted his abilities. I only claim that Bobby had earned the right to decide for himself when and how he would like to end his storied run, even if it cost us a couple wins every now and then. The fair-weather fandom in Florida shocked me when I first encountered it, and pained me every one of my years at State, but this latest act by the athletics department and the boosters against Bowden is an atrocious lack of gratitude and memory. It is unforgivable.
And yet even though I spent more than my fair share of time in the Doak screaming my lungs out for Bobby and the Noles (and sometimes being told to be quiet and sit down in the process), I feel almost like I am on the outside looking in at this tragedy. After I left Virginia Tech following my freshman year, a relative infant and now an orphan in the realm of college football, I arrived at Florida State and was taken in by Bobby and the Noles. I gave myself over to them completely and lived and died by their exploits, all the while only learning of their former glory after the fact, often spoke of as if it was ancient history, even though the 2000 season was only 3 years before my arrival. Without possessing a historical context for my loyalty to the Noles, I thought that they would not take possession of my emotions the way that some teams have. But I was wrong. I was there when Bobby was lifted up on the shoulders of his victorious team when he passed Jo Pa as the all-time winningest coach in D1A history, and I was crushed when he fell back behind. I have exulted in the miracle wins and stayed for the last seconds of the most bitter home losses. I did not have the time put in as a fan of Florida State to appreciate just how stunning and incredible the history of my team is. And yet I seem to be the only one who appreciates it now.
No comments:
Post a Comment