Football season has begun....

I remember when I used to ADORE football season. Simply because it was football season. Now, I just like it because it means that fall is upon us and fall is my favorite season.

Growing up, I was a Clemson fan. Down to my "I'm behind the Clemson Tigers" bloomies and my cheerleading uniform. We didn't go to a lot of home games, but we always watched and we always cheered big.

Once I started school, football was a big deal at Hammond. That was what Friday night was all about. And once I hit high school, I never missed a game. That might have had a little more to do with the fact that I was a cheerleader and therefore required to attend. But that's neither here nor there.

First up for college football was Davidson, basically high school football at the collegiate level. No tailgating, no ESPN. You showed up on a Saturday afternoon, watched a little football, and then walked the 10 yards back to your dorm. Of course, sophomore year I never missed a game. Again, that might have had a lot to do with that pesky cheerleading. Yeah- I was a collegiate cheerleader. Bring it on!

Then came the transfer to USC and the realization that football in the South truly is a phenomenon unto itself. The planning that went into the tailgating. Who was going to pick everyone up so that cars could be left on National Guard Armory Road to save spots the night before? Answer- me. In the Explorer. With coolers. And 12 people. I'm not kidding. What to wear. What to fix for tailgating. This was a new experience for me and I embraced it with open arms. My blood ranneth garnet!

Law school was a whole different experience. They always say you can never go back. And they weren't lying. I figured I'd either keep tailgating with my college friends or find a new group of friends for tailgating. Neither happened. Too many law school friends couldn't have given two craps about USC football (or any college football for that matter). And the college friends had moved on to new tailgating adventures. So slowly, I went to less and less games. Still tried to hit a few each year, but not every one.

Then I graduated. And all of a sudden, I didn't have free tickets waiting for me each season. My parents tried to explain, in vain, that none of my tickets had ever truly been free. My opinion was that if I didn't have to shell out my money, it was free to me! But now that it came down to spending my hard earned money on season tickets or new shoes, shoes were going to win out every time.

The further removed I have become from being an active football attendee, the more blase I become about college football in general. I'll watch USC if they are on TV. I'll watch Clemson if they are on TV. While my family still likes to call me each year and pick on me when Clemson beats Carolina (don't hate- you all know it's true), I care less and less each year. Slowly, I am becoming Switzerland. And I think I like it that way.