(written by Nick)
Yesterday,
I was able to take my family to the Blue/White game for the Utah State
Aggies. Maybe it was just because Maverick
bought the rights to put their name on Romney Stadium, but we got free hot dogs
and drinks, discounted swag, a chance to watch football from anywhere in the
stadium, and access to many of the players.
I don’t know how other schools do it, I’ve only been to one other spring
scrimmage, and that was at BYU. It was
the year after the 49ers beat the Bengals in the Super Bowl, so I was 10 going
on 11. I know that because Steve Young
and Jason Buck gave a fireside beforehand.
Other than that, I don’t remember much; just that we went, ate lunch,
tried some South American soda, and watched the game.
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| Three Generations of Aggie Fans |
I hope
my daughters remember more when they get older.
I hope corporate sponsorship doesn’t disconnect us from “our”
athletes. I don’t think I’ve ever been
able to walk on Merlin Olsen Field (or whatever it was called formerly) before
yesterday. My daughters were able to
meet future NFL players (fingers crossed) like Kyler Fackrell and Nick
Vigil. We got autographs from nine very
friendly, accommodating young men. If
anyone sees a picture of Kennedy Williams crouched down to engage with my
little two-year-old Shelby, let me know.
I would love a copy. Signing for
hundreds of fans for an hour certainly wasn’t made convenient for those young
men, standing on the field, sweaty and tired, without tables or chairs or any
kind of order. Throngs of fans pressed
in on Chuckie Keeton. Hopefully, the honest
fans who simply wanted a memento from the star Aggie were able to get what they
wanted. If it wasn’t a burden to them, I
hope there weren’t any athletes who were forced to stay and sign.
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Shasta's Getting Braver with Big Blue.
Shelby refused to let me get any closer. |
This is
why I love being an Aggie in Logan. Utah
State is so engrained into the Cache Valley community that I feel a part of
it. Sara and I have both had classes
with athletes, and not just extra large survey classes, but small classes where
we could engage with them. I’ve given
high five to Chris Huber, bought ice cream from David Pak, shared a bench at
church with Gary Wilkinson, and been served at Village Inn by Pooh
Williams. Of course, I probably should
mention my sister marrying a Utah State football player first and foremost, but
he’s been around for long enough that he doesn’t really count, right?
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Shasta and Shelby with their cousin Meili.
This is Shelby's "cheese" face. |
There’s
a lot of talk about changing college sports, paying football and basketball
players, turning college into a minor league.
I’m all for using more of the money generated by the NCAA towards bettering
situations for student athletes, but I’m against ruining opportunities for
families to enjoy what my family has been able to experience here in
Logan. I would rather have that than a
dozen national championships.
But off
my soapbox, I just want to say thank you to Utah State, and I guess to Maverick
for the wonderful afternoon. I
especially want to say thank you to the nine young men who signed a poster for “my
daughters” (and all the players who would have if they had the courage to ask
them); Tyler Fox, Jojo Natson, Kent Myers, Kyler Fackrell, Nick Vigil, DJ
Nelson, Christopher Unga, Kennedy Williams, and Zach Van Leeuwen. I’m excited for this season to see the
success these young men will have. Go
Aggies!
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| Shasta is learning how to skip. She thinks she is so big. |
