I finally had another opportunity to attend a Temple football game on September 30. As usual our seats were behind the opposing team sideline, which on that day was the University of Houston. This year was slightly different as were down the field, around the 20 yard line, where before we usually sat around midfield, about halfway up the lower level. Unlike previous times, our tickets put us not behind the Houston players, but bordering on the small corner area occupied by the faithful contingent of UH supporters who made their way to Philadelphia from Texas. Although we were not very far from the Houston players, we were now closer to the cheerleaders and mascot. I would be seeing a lot more of them that I ever do watching television. The experience of seeing a football game will always be different from watching it in the living room. There is only so much to it that can be captured by the camera, and when it is, it can only be given a few seconds of viewing time before being edited back to main focus of the game.
We arrived at our seats about 45 minutes before kickoff. The players were warming up on the field, but now that our seats were much closer to the cheerleaders, I noticed their pre-game activities more than the players. I watched as they arrived with their signs to cue the crowd and their letter flags, which they no doubt hoped to be flying frequently during the game. There were about 7 or 8 of them, all stunningly beautiful. There was uniformity not only with their outfits but also their long straight hair tied with a bow in the back. I was close enough to get the pictures which I posted here. As they went about their business in preparing for their game, they talked about whatever cheerleaders talk about at that time. They probably sounded like most college age girls, but no doubt with a distinctive Texas twang. Directly across the field from them stood the much larger Temple cheerleading unit, male and female. What I saw was a bare bones road cheerleading crew, probably just enough to carry the letter flags whenever the Cougars got scored a touchdown.
Nearby stood Shasta, the cougar mascot. Shasta is a name I associate with a brand of soda that I’m not sure still exists on the market. The cougar suit Shasta was in looked to be short from where I sat, which led me to believe that its occupant might be a girl. I didn’t see Shasta perform any flips, cartwheels, or any other gymnastic stunts, but I still thought maybe there was a petite female gymnast inside. I have no real way of knowing, so I’ll just leave it at a guess. I wasn’t close enough to get the actual size.
Sitting behind the players inevitably made me wonder what the student athlete experience was like for those fortunate enough to receive an FBS scholarship offer. But now I was wondering about the auxiliary performers at football games who travel with the team, particularly the cheerleaders since I was sitting near them. And what did they think about? Maybe their boyfriends, maybe the calculus exam or chemistry lab project that was waiting for them when they return to Houston. During the flight, was everyone banging away on their laptops, writing their history papers? Beyond that, was this the first time in Philadelphia for most of the freshmen? Were there some freshmen who never felt a snowflake before? This day in Philadelphia was a cool overcast autumn day, but there may be some late season games coming in Connecticut or Tulsa.
This goes without saying, but only a few of the players on either side have any realistic hope of playing in the NFL. If what I learned watching Rudy is right, some of the scholarship players don’t even dress for the games. Maybe a few of the starters think they have a shot at going in the late rounds of the draft in April. For most of them it could be assumed they are happy to be playing game they love, and not only that, receiving a free education, complete with living expenses while in college. They stand on the sidelines hoping for a shot to get in the game, but the most important thing to them is getting a degree and launching their career or getting into grad school.
I did actually go there to see the game so here is a brief summary. As a Temple fan, it was disappointing at first, but after falling behind 20-0 early in the second half, they rallied and made this into good game before losing 20-13. Most fans though the game was over after Temple turned the ball over on downs late in the fourth quarter and like us, started to make their way to the exits. But Temple did get the ball back with a few seconds left, just enough time for a Hail Mary pass, which was intercepted. It was not over until the clock showed all zeroes. It doesn't always go the way I want it, and I'm not a season ticket type, but I always like going to games. What was different about this experience was that I remembered what being a student was like, but the world of college sports was something I never went near. This is about as close as I’ll get to it. Since I was that close, I tried to get into the mind of the student athletes as much as I could. And all of the auxiliary members of their entourage.
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