Florida Gators campus energized for 2016 season

As an athlete on the Gator Track & Field team, I am the first to say that the number one priority of fans is football. The attention that Gator football players receive is truly a sight to see. The players are akin to celebrities and campus is their Hollywood. Particularly during game day week, football players are the center of attention – pictures are taken, “good luck” is like saying hello and random stares come from every direction.

As the first Gator game day is quickly approaching, the energy on campus is palpable. What do I see from the perspective of a student-athlete? That’s easy – fanatics. Passing conversations about what to expect, nervous rumblings of how the team will fare, and anxious planning of how to throw the best game day pre-event fill the campus.

Above the excitement, however, is another great attributes of college athletics – unity among a nation of students. Football is not just a strategic war where both sides defend their territory. The game of football ignites a harmony among a diverse body of people and promotes a unity that transcends politics, religion, or the other fault lines that can divide us.

At the University of Florida, you know it’s game day week merely by the environment. The stadium closes the day before the game. The field is completely off limits much of the time. Great attention is given to ensuring the painted orange lines are perfectly straight. The stadium walkways even smell like Febreze! Football is the priority.

There is, however, a flip side to the positive attention. The interest and adulation only lasts if the team is winning. My freshman year experience of football was unfortunate, to say the least. That year the Gators went 4-8 (the team’s worst record since 1979), and alongside the losing record came a waning attention to the program. A somber feeling weighed heavy on the campus, and game attendance fell. Our own Florida students were booing the team, and team spirit was at a minimum.

That’s the beauty of running track, though. If you don’t perform well, no one really knows but your coach and you. In football, the players’ mistakes are laid out for all to see. Thousands of people talk and tweet about it. The performance is played and replayed on national television, along with the sarcastic comments of sportscasters.

However, despite previous seasons, we are anticipating a new year. A hopeful, resilient energy surrounds Florida’s campus. Students are excited to go to games. People are energetic at the idea of having a winning team. Gator Nation is eager about the vigor in the team and the toughness in this year’s schedule.

Though the trajectory of Gator football’s success ebbs and flows, the hopes of students and fandom at large remain constant.