The Big Game

It is the time of year that most people look forward to, and I tend to dread. Anyone living in the state of Utah, is either red or blue. You know, U of U or BYU. I grew up being a BYU fan, in part to my parents. I never attended BYU, but my little sister went there, so I still have some loyal ties linking me to this school. Over the years, my two brothers became U of U fans. I think they liked the reputation of the school (U of U, party school, BYU, religious school). Enough said. When Kris and I were first married, he had just graduated from Ricks College and was looking to get his bachelors. He applied to both BYU and the U, and was accepted to both. We both really wanted him to go to the Y, but one Saturday, we took a drive down to Provo to check out the housing. It was hard to find any good places, along with jobs. I already had a good job, and I was going to be the breadwinner for a while, so we decided to go to the U so I wouldn't have to change jobs or commute further. This decision changed the game for me. I now have a die-hard Ute fan for a husband, and I am now a so-so BYU fan. It is much easier for me to not get so involved in it. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge football fan, I love this sport. I just wish I could watch the BYU-Utah game and totally cheer my team on. A couple of years ago, my mom and dad invited us to come watch the game with them and my two brothers. Half of us were Utes, the other half, Cougars. (You know it's bad when my kids started picking sides; usually they try to make us both happy and tend to go for the team of the parent they are trying to please. I have lost Zach to the dark, I mean red side, and Hayley likes to side with her mom, thatta girl! And then there's Justin and Tyler who are the swing voters!) The game got to be so competitive with my brothers that it was no fun. One brother has never been a good loser (lots of board games being thrown in the air when we were younger!). By the end of the fourth quarter, I was so mad at how rude he was being, I left to the kitchen, and missed the winning touchdown of BYU to beat the Utes. It's no fun when you can't enjoy a good win or a good game. I try to remain neutral all season and go for both teams, but when this one game of the year happens, it's time to go blue! Kris is pretty good about not being too in my face about it, thank goodness.

My kids elementary school does a really fun tradition every year during the week before the game. They have one day where they pick their team colors and wear their color. Today they had a team pep rally at lunch for the big game, and they also have a canned goods fund raiser where the kids bring cans and put them in the bin marked BYU or Utah. At the end of the week, they announce the winner with the most amount. This year, I am sad to say the winner was Utah! I hope this isn't a precursor to the game tomorrow. Until tomorrow, go COUGARS!!!