Remember the movie “The Endless Summer”? In it, two guys take a journey around the world looking for the perfect wave. For any college sports fan, the journey of watching as many live games as possible in hopes of finding that one stadium or town that tops all others is the equivalent of “The Endless Summer”. Well friends, the perfect wave of college sports has been found. Welcome to the Mecca of college football.
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Normally, the Tuesday (Wednesday this week, I’m still recovering from the weekend) segment is dedicated to recapping the weekend that was in college football as it is related to Carolina and those losers in Durham and Raleigh. But this time, there is a little something different in store.
I hate writing these articles in first person, because writing in third person is more fun, and makes me feel more important. I’m not important, I know this. My high school soccer coach told me so. But, this one requires first person writing. I experienced a sight on Saturday that is unparalleled in all of my sporting travels. For reference, I have seen Manchester United live, a Florida v. Tennessee game, and a Duke v. Carolina game up-close and personal, standing in the risers at the Smith Center. I was the one yelling obscenities at JJ Redick in case you were wondering. But this weekend, I found a place that tops all those mentioned. It’s a place that seats 82,000 people, and is called Camp Randall Stadium. The house was rocking when Nebraska came to town, trust me.
Now please don’t mistake this as blasphemous if you are a Tar Heel or Devil. I am basing my argument strictly on how a neutral would view each place. For a Carolina fan, there is no better place than the Smith Center. For a Duke fan, there is no better place than Cameron, which only becomes beautiful after all of the paint that was on your face is now in your eyes. It’s the equivalent of beer goggles for sports fans. But, to be perfectly honest, Camp Randall is in a different league. Not only does Russell Wilson now start at quarterback for Wisconsin, he’s leading a team that is the Big 10 favorite, and may have a shot at the BCS title game. Which is hilarious, unless you’re an NC State fan. In that case, it’s just downright depressing. The student section is also the best in college sports. They look like zombies coming off a 12-hour bender when they’re heading to Camp Randall, but they somehow puke and rally in time for “Jump Around” and the wave.
Don’t get me wrong, I would never trade my time in Chapel Hill for the world, but I also understand that a change of scenery can help a person appreciate their roots. Chapel Hill has my heart, but Madison is the new chick in school who likes the same music as me.
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