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+----- Thread: Gators, fans enjoy being underdogs (/thread-11716.html)
- Gabi - 09-25-2002 01:14 PM
By Jeff Darlington
Alligator columnist
Losers don't like winners. Not in life, and especially not in football.
So Saturday, when hundreds of UF students swarmed into Knoxville, Tenn., for what became a Gators stomping, it's needless to say Tennessee fans weren't very welcoming.
Take John's story for example (note to readers: this name has been changed to protect the drunk and disorderly).
A slight stumble outside of a Knoxville bar in front of a police officer cost John a trip to the clank.
When the UF senior - garbed in Gators gear - gave the cop a wrong answer, the response resulted in a three-hour tour of Knoxville via paddy wagon, a 12-hour stay with Tennessee's finest crack addicts and a $100 fine.
But here's the kicker: When John went before the judge the morning after the game, he didn't just have to fork over the money.
Instead, the justice system ordered John and another UF student to sing "Rocky Top" before the courtroom. No joke.
"I'm pretty sure it was because of the color of my shirt," John said.
He wasn't alone. Turns out, the ratio of Gators to Vols arrested after the game was actually pretty similar to the final score. About 20 other UF students joined John in the holding cell, and only one lonely Volunteer.
Fans in Knoxville - including judges and policemen - weren't just bitter about losing. They were bitter about losing to the underdogs.
It's a feeling so many in Gainesville have become so accustomed to in the past decade.
Last year against Auburn and Tennessee. Two years ago against Mississippi State. Each season, another upset.
Finally, for the hundreds of UF students that stormed Knoxville's streets after the win, or for any of the players who celebrated in a small corner of Neyland Stadium, winning wasn't expected. Instead, it was rewarding.
That's one of the reasons Steve Spurrier resigned. It's one of the reasons Rex Grossman returned.
When it comes down to it, it's just more fun to beat the best than it is to be the best. Because once you've reached the top, winning just isn't as fun.
I'll tell you this: For hundreds of Gators fans and players that made this road trip, winning as the underdog made this an experience few will ever forget.
- NewspaperRebel - 09-25-2002 05:38 PM
Very interesting...I was treated very good...but I'm sure this happens everywhere!!
- 10MAN - 09-25-2002 07:34 PM
I would've told the judge to put me back in the tank before I even thought about singing that hideous hillbilly crap song!
- orangetd88 - 09-26-2002 12:35 AM
LOL @ an Ole Miss fan calling us hillbillies.
- 10MAN - 09-26-2002 09:17 AM
I didn't call UT hillbillies, I called that stupid song y'all sing a hillbilly song. Maybe you should read my post again.
By the way, please don't try and deny that your song is not a hillbilly song! <img border="0" alt="[laugh]" title="" src="graemlins/laughing.gif" />
- NCGatorBait - 09-26-2002 06:02 PM
I like Rocky Top...for the first 20 times!!!LOL After that..no!!LOL