Munro
COLUMN: Early-exiting UGA fans embarrassing
Georgia fans: You freely and frequently call out Bulldog coaches for errors on the field.
Well, it’s time to call you out.
Sanford Stadium couldn’t empty fast enough Saturday after Georgia fell behind by two touchdowns against Arkansas with plenty of time left on the clock and not a rain cloud in the sky.
It left an ACC-esque crowd to witness a near comeback in a key SEC game.
It also reaffirmed a long-standing problem: Georgia’s wine-and-cheese, early-to-bail fan base is the most overrated in the SEC.
For a 92,000-seat venue, Sanford Stadium is as hostile as a Rotary Club meeting on most Saturdays. Mark Richt, on more than a few occasions, has had to ask Georgia fans to show up and make noise. What coach of a major football program has to go to such lengths? That’s dialogue usually reserved for high school coaches at a pep rally. No wonder Richt has resorted to desperate “black out” gimmicks in the past.
But the Bulldog fans’ apathy goes beyond its lack of enthusiasm.
Most Georgia fans’ knowledge of Bulldog history is remarkably limited. Mention anything outside 1980-1982 and most Bulldog backers will stare off into space. Georgia fans simply can’t move on from a three-year period from more than a quarter century ago when one player, who’s name they can’t stop saying, was dominant. Georgia retired Herschel Walker’s number in 1985. It’s time to retire his name in conversation, too.
But the Bulldog Nation’s underlying problem is that, basically, it isn’t overly concerned with actual football games.
Sure, they love to follow recruiting, love to listen to Munson calls, love to take pictures of Uga, love to tailgate. But when it comes to actually watching and lending vocal support to the team they profess to follow, that concept ranks about fifth or sixth on their to-do list. Georgia fans are notoriously late to arrive, and, as was evident Saturday, can’t wait to leave.
It’s one thing to duck out with five minutes left with the team up or down 35-0 to beat traffic. It’s another to leave your team with everything still on the line.
Granted, the 55,000 or so dedicated souls who hung in there Saturday injected a lot of life into the sparse stadium. And there are plenty of fans out there who would risk life and limb in Siberian temperatures just to watch UGA play.
But when you look at the Bulldog Nation as a whole – and that includes the noticeably empty seats — it’s a major disappointment.
So Dog fans, back up your talk.
You’re constantly asking Georgia to play with more passion. Start showing some yourselves.
The biggest embarrassment Saturday wasn’t on the field. It was in the stands.
Even Tech fans would do better.
Ben Munro is a reporter for The Jackson Herald
Sanford Stadium couldn’t empty fast enough Saturday after Georgia fell behind by two touchdowns against Arkansas with plenty of time left on the clock and not a rain cloud in the sky.
It left an ACC-esque crowd to witness a near comeback in a key SEC game.
It also reaffirmed a long-standing problem: Georgia’s wine-and-cheese, early-to-bail fan base is the most overrated in the SEC.
For a 92,000-seat venue, Sanford Stadium is as hostile as a Rotary Club meeting on most Saturdays. Mark Richt, on more than a few occasions, has had to ask Georgia fans to show up and make noise. What coach of a major football program has to go to such lengths? That’s dialogue usually reserved for high school coaches at a pep rally. No wonder Richt has resorted to desperate “black out” gimmicks in the past.
But the Bulldog fans’ apathy goes beyond its lack of enthusiasm.
Most Georgia fans’ knowledge of Bulldog history is remarkably limited. Mention anything outside 1980-1982 and most Bulldog backers will stare off into space. Georgia fans simply can’t move on from a three-year period from more than a quarter century ago when one player, who’s name they can’t stop saying, was dominant. Georgia retired Herschel Walker’s number in 1985. It’s time to retire his name in conversation, too.
But the Bulldog Nation’s underlying problem is that, basically, it isn’t overly concerned with actual football games.
Sure, they love to follow recruiting, love to listen to Munson calls, love to take pictures of Uga, love to tailgate. But when it comes to actually watching and lending vocal support to the team they profess to follow, that concept ranks about fifth or sixth on their to-do list. Georgia fans are notoriously late to arrive, and, as was evident Saturday, can’t wait to leave.
It’s one thing to duck out with five minutes left with the team up or down 35-0 to beat traffic. It’s another to leave your team with everything still on the line.
Granted, the 55,000 or so dedicated souls who hung in there Saturday injected a lot of life into the sparse stadium. And there are plenty of fans out there who would risk life and limb in Siberian temperatures just to watch UGA play.
But when you look at the Bulldog Nation as a whole – and that includes the noticeably empty seats — it’s a major disappointment.
So Dog fans, back up your talk.
You’re constantly asking Georgia to play with more passion. Start showing some yourselves.
The biggest embarrassment Saturday wasn’t on the field. It was in the stands.
Even Tech fans would do better.
Ben Munro is a reporter for The Jackson Herald
P.S. - you can't win any game if you don't play for all four quarters. This common theme was also re-affirmed this past Saturday.