College Football is the Real National Pastime

So we all know the reasons why we love college football; tailgating, the passion, the competition, etc. But it's more than just that.

Forget baseball, college football is the real American pastime.

Where else can you see packed stadiums of hundreds of thousands of screaming fans but in the great cathedrals of the game; The Swamp, The Coliseum, The Rose Bowl, The Orange Bowl, and my own Husky Stadium. The list goes on and on.

We come back for the passion, every single time. It's a drug we can't get enough of.

I've been a soccer fan ever since I started playing youth soccer, and to me the pinnacle of fan passion is in what I call "real" football (people kill each other over this stuff, think the firms in London or the Ultras in Serie A, hooligans to us).

I've been to European Soccer matches and stood in the supporters' ends, and it is a treat, but it also reminds me of standing in the student section of Husky Stadium.

People in Europe and South America love soccer because the teams aren't just a corporate behemoth representing one town, they represent identities. I'm from San Francisco, but no way do I feel like I am a Giant or I am a 49er, but I am a Husky.

We talk about our teams in the singular plural, it's never "they" are doing good or bad, it's "we" who are doing bad. Like in European Soccer, the fortunes of the team mirror our own. We get depressed when we lose, and we are on cloud nine when we win.

As fans of college football, we know our teams inside and out; we eat up news of our team like nobody's business. An injury to one of our stars turns us into a concerned relative; we bite our nails and wait for the prognosis.

We take our rivalries from the field, even though we aren't playing, and make them into how we deal with people (all in fun, of course; who doesn't love trash talking?). I know I feel like my pride has been wounded every time Oregon or Washington State wins.

The players love it too, they aren't getting paid the millions of dollars. It isn't for money. It's for glory, for themselves and for their team.

Sure they are playing for their dreams of making the big bucks, but you can't succeed unless you give your all. We respect our players, they are the gladiators and charioteers of our time (sorry, hokey reference I'm sure, but I'm a history major, I can't resist).

I know I have my No. 10 Jake Locker jersey. I bet all you Florida fans have your Tim Tebow jerseys and you Ohio State Fans have your Beanie Wells jerseys.

I'm probably a little insane how much I love the sport, but that doesn't slow me down one bit. I love it, I truly do.

No matter if we win or lose, we can all count on the fact that college football is going to remain the same. Getting up and going to our tailgating parties, finding our spots in the students sections, cheering until we are hoarse, and loving every minute of it.

I'll see you out there on Aug. 30.