Happy fans are all alike; unhappy fans, in contrast, differ each in their own way. In the end, it doesn’t matter, because when Badgers line the field, personal temperament is but an afterthought for a Wisconsin fan. The dedication of Badger fans must be commended.
Some weeks prior to the Rose Bowl, I found myself in the back of the KK. It was late Friday night, too late. As anyone who has spent a significant amount of time at the KK knows, there should be a time limit on your stay there. Suffice to say, I was way over my time limit when I noticed some of the football team present. I was so excited about the Rose Bowl that I personally thanked one prominent O-linemen. As a token of gratitude, I offered him my girlfriend as some recompense for his hard work and perseverance. Luckily, his good graces went beyond zone blocking, and since both he and my girlfriend were reluctant to abide, he expressed his gratefulness and went on his way.
The sacrifices we make as fans and the support we give reverberates down the stands and is highly appreciated by our team. The connection between player and fan is a reciprocal loop; winning for his school is as important as winning for his team, and when he or she appreciates his school and his fans, the win is that much sweeter.
Fast forward to Rose Bowl weekend. It was about 2:30 a.m. when we all realized we were going to die in horror-movie-type fashion. We were absolutely sure that before the night was over we would all be mounted on hooks in an abandoned warehouse. My roommates and I had set off from Chicago the previous day on a road trip to California. We were on the road in hot pursuit of Pasadena when my friend’s 2000 Ford Windstar let on that she was thirsty and needed some fuel. We were 50 miles east of Amarillo, Texas, in the middle of hell.
I got off at the next exit which was the city of Groom, hands down the most awful place on Earth – a stretch of land perfect for nuclear testing. Groom is known for a 19-story cross that can be seen for 20 miles. Seeing it, we all shat our pants. Somehow, we eventually found a gas station, filled the van, emptied ourselves and tore out of Texas.
Aside from a frightening, inbred Groom gas attendant and a major blizzard in New Mexico, we made it to Pasadena 36 hours after leaving Chicago. Pricey flights did not stop us. Unruly clerks and Navajo snowstorms did not stop us. Maliferous odors from the unfortunate loss of bowel function in Groom did not stop us. Such obstacles were reduced to mere hiccups in a van full of Badgers, coffee, cigarettes, Adderall and perseverance.
Our lodgings for the weekend were in Santa Monica, where a friend’s parents graciously opened their beautiful home to 38 of some of the bigger drunks you’ll ever meet. Badger fans were, indeed, making sacrifices all over this great nation. The parents called this nightmare Josh’s graduation present – giving 38 cretins a place to crash.
Wisconsin fans descended upon Los Angeles en masse like Persians in the battle of Thermopylae. Our thirst for cheap beer and fried finger foods was not denied. On Dec. 30, 25,000 Wisconsin fans cheered at the pep rally. This proved to be a fraction of the total number that materialized two days later – all to support our school.
Badgers’ ability to travel and support our team is unmatched; this is known, but on New Year’s Eve weekend, it bordered on the absurd. The sheer volume of us was remarkable. You could look nowhere without crossing paths with a fellow Badger on the trail – literally, on the trail. Even on hiking trails overlooking Manhattan Beach, there were countless high fives and “go Badgers” from passers-by in spandex and hiking boots.
On game day, we transformed the Rose Bowl into a Wisconsin home game. As TCU fans tucked in collared shirts and exchanged southern pleasantries, our drunken revelry armed us with witty chants to throw TCU off their game. Notables included the “Redundant Chant” (after all, Texas and Christian is somewhat synonymous) and, my personal favorite, the “Evolution Chant.”
Unfortunately, witty remarks don’t go far in completing passes, and when Tolzien’s 2-point conversion attempt was knocked down, many a rosy dream came to a grinding halt. Indeed, we would have rather seen the run, but it was hard-fought and these are how things go when it comes down to the wire.
Yes, there would have been nothing better than to see Wisconsin prevail, to see Moffitt and Watt with a mouth full of victory roses. It would have definitely been the cherry on a Babcock sundae, but the Grateful Red were still satisfied by a hell of a season. Although our loyalty may have been questioned during regular season games, we went above and beyond the call of duty when Pasadena called – and so did our team – and we will all gladly do it again.
Dennis O’Reilly ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in economics.
