My wife and I dated very briefly, so the first game she attended was the 2008 opener against Hawaii, 8 months into marriage and 5 months pregnant. In typical Swamp fashion, it was smoldering hot and humid, and then started raining as we approached the line to get in. So out comes everyone's ponchos, creating a spectacular potpourri of body odor, snuffed out cigar, garbage, mustard, and of course poorly stored mildewed plastic that had been marinating for approximately 9 months. To no surprise, the thickness of this almost unbreathable air caught her attention, and she asked me what it was. As nervous as I was that a newcomer like herself would at a minimum, throw up and possibly vow to never attend another game, I answered quite simply: this is a Gator football game. And every time I walk into the stadium now, and catch that whiff, it just further reminds me how much I love it.
I'm not taking shots at anyone here, so don't take it personally. And I'm not talking about throwing in the towel of seasons like we've had recently and bailing on some of the later games. Nor am I minimizing some of the legitimate health reasons for those getting up there in age. But I really don't get the general lack of attendance, especially for those within an hour's drive. Yes it's hot. Yes there are crowds. Sure it's not the perfect bathroom setup. But there are 8,760 hours in a calendar year. How some can't bring themselves to be uncomfortable for roughly 18-20 of those each season, for a unique event, blows my mind.
