Jump! Jump! - The Wisconsin Jump Around

I believe college provides an ideal transition to adulthood. Naturally students are expected to act in a mature manner most of the time, both in one's studies and in the conduct of personal relationships with faculty, staff and peers. But, as opposed to those entering the 'real world' immediately after high school, they enjoy the privilege of acting like five year olds in certain conditions - and that behavior is perfectly acceptable; sometimes even encouraged. One can gradually morph into adulthood while still occasionally enjoying the comforts of childhood and its attendant irresponsibility - at least that's the way I view it.

I thought about this, recalling my own experiences in college, when I watched the YouTube video below. During the break between the third and fourth quarters of football games in Camp Randall Stadium at the University of Wisconsin, all the students seated at one end of the stadium, numbering maybe 20,000 or more, and anyone else who gets caught up in the enthusiasm, commences to jump up and down throughout the loudspeakers blaring "Jump Around" by the band House of Pain. The marching band, all down on the field leads this mass silliness. Engineers insist that the structure can withstand this activity, but it has to be a bit scary to be there and feel the entire stadium vibrate. I know if I ever attended a game there I would obtain seats as far from the student section as possible.

The lunacy starts in this video at approximately the 45 second mark. You will see that even some of the opposing players can't stop themselves from joining in. To fully appreciate this I recommend viewing the video full screen at at least 720p resolution.

Ominous Storm Clouds at Football Game

This YouTube video shows very scary looking storm clouds approaching Kansas State University's stadium during a September, 2010 game between Kansas State and Central Florida University in Manhattan, Kansas. The game was suspended for an hour and a half. It is amazing how many of the crowd remained in the open as the storm approached. I can guarantee that I would have been under the stands in record time, coward that I am!

National Anthem

I don't much like our National Anthem. First, because it requires a range far outside the reach of the average person and is thus unsingable for most. Second, because it glorifies an incident in war - when those naughty Brits, not satisfied with having set our White House on fire, attempted unsuccessfully to capture Ft. McHenry and occupy Baltimore.

A bit of trivia - - Baltimore, Maryland is the only large city in the United States that has never flown a flag but the American Flag since the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

I really don't think playing the National Anthem prior to sporting events makes much sense. I can't see how baseball or football, or any other sport, has anything to do with patriotism. But, nobody ever consulted me on the subject.

Sometimes, though, this ritual can be quite moving - boosting one's pulse and setting the toes a-tingle. Yesterday, at the NFL divisional playoff game in Chicago between the Chicago Bears and the Seattle Seahawks was such an occasion.