Playing in The Shadows: Indiana University Plays Football, WKU Only Spectators

This was the home opener coming off a surprise bowl appearance, after a season dedicated to their fallen coach, which happened to be their first postseason appearance since 1993.  The stadium should have at least been at 90% capacity.  Anything less is, and was, an embarrassment.  

Terry Hoeppner understood that part of what makes a program successful is their fan base.  Imagine The Big House at 50% capacity.  Not quite as imposing.  Hoeppner used his sharp marketing skills to create a particular environment.  He energized a dormant fan base even when he knew the product was not where it needed to be. 

Last season saw the Hoosiers become a good (but not great) football team.  They were finally getting over the hump.  More importantly, the Hoosier fan base was finally rewarded for making the trip with wins. 

They are so close to shedding the mediocre tag they have held for so long.  If you are a fan, now is not the time to pass the buck.  As a culture, we have become accustom to sit idly by while thinking that someone else will eventually do something when we don't feel like it. 

Believe me, I know there are much more pressing things affecting our lives than college football.  However, the story of this program's overhaul is a perfect example of the usefulness of sport.  It is a team overcoming all odds, against overwhelming circumstances, working towards a common goal.  It is why we connect to sports so easily with such passion. 

Sports is one of many microcosms of our everyday life, except on a much grander scale (a macrocosm, then?).  They teach us about triumph and adversity from a safe distance, but with no less meaning. They inspire. 

Regardless, as a citizen or a fan, we should take responsibility of the outcomes of things that we can affect instead of griping when it doesn't go our way after the fact.  As a wise (and old) man once said, "In a democracy, the people often get what they deserve."

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