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WINNING IS THE ONLY THING
UGA football is such a popular bonanza (four home games in
September!) because we always have winning seasons, so we al
ways have plenty of fans, and tickets are always scarce no matter
how much we enlarge the stadium. We are also spoiled by being
able to see just about every game on television, so that impecu
nious introverts can also enjoy football.
It is impossible to imagine Georgia football not filling up the
almost 100,000-seat stadium, even when we play, urn, Troy State
Teachers College And Normal School this year for Homecoming.
Ticket prices and the premium for holding onto your particular
seats ratchet ever higher, and if you're no longer willing to pay,
somebody else is eager to pony up and sit where you sat. Makes no
difference if you have been a loyal alumnus all these years; this is
no longer a game for students and alumni. It's for fens.
How many losing games it would take for those fens to turn
away nobody knows nor wants to contemplate. As long as we're
winning and the stadium sells out and the TV money rolls in, we've
all got it made. Unless we're right in the middle of them, we hate
the crowds that come for the football. Any crowd can get in your
way: even the Methodists who convene here annually, and football
doesn't exactly bring out the best in people.
It seems laughable to recall a time when Georgia football didn't
fill up the town. Perhaps a touch of historical perspective will
remind us that no matter how hot it gets out there in the sun in
your fell woolens, we're blessed that our football team does so well
and brings so much prosperity with it.
Georgia had great teams in the '20s, the '30s and the '40s,
but then something happened in the '50s. We had a good coach
and some good players, but we couldn't put together a win
ning team. In those years, we imported most of our players from
Pennsylvania. We also had a lot of great athletes in Georgia whose
color kept them out of UGA.
My career as a Bulldog fen began at the worst possible time.
I lived or died on Saturday when Georgia won or lost. I loved the
Dogs. I pulled for them. I schemed to get over here to Athens to
see them play, because it was
either that or listen to them on
the radio. We would put on our
Scout uniforms and come over
on a school bus to usher at the
games. All we did was look at
people's ticket stubs and show
them where their seats were.
I never understood why they
couldn't find them if I could. Of course, by the time the game
got going, our work was finished and we could enjoy the action.
Except, what was there to enjoy? Georgia always got beat 36 to 3.
Sometimes 12.
It was agony to me. They were my beloved Bulldogs. During my
formative years, the Dogs routinely lost five or more games in a
10-game schedule. During this same period, the hated arch-rival
Georgia Tech was flying high—always winning, always beating
Georgia. I hated it. A lot of people became Tech fans because they
loved a winner. I could not desert the Dogs. Many could. Imagine
the spectacle: Sanford Stadium on a Saturday afternoon—half
full. And that's the original natural-bowl Sanford Stadium—open
at both ends, no decks, no skyboxes, capacity: 30,000—but only
half-full.
Could it happen again? If the team stopped winning, it could.
If the team stopped winning, the TV money would dry up and so
would the ticket sales. Most of the 92,000 people who fill the
stadium every time the gates open are here not because they love
the Dogs but because they love a winner and want to be associ
ated with a team that's winning. Start losing, they'll find another
team. That puts an incredible amount of pressure on the team, the
coaches, the athletic association and the University administration
to keep on winning. This is big business, and its stock in trade is
winning football games Recruit the athletes, get them into school
and keep their grades up; keep them out of jail; keep them healthy
and keep them winning. Whatever it takes, fill the stadium and
keep the TV on.
Meanwhile, Athens does very well by all these fans. Our down
town restaurants, bars, clubs and shops are close to the stadium.
Our hotels fill up. Our traffic planners move the crowds in and
out more smoothly now than they did back when the crowds were
smaller. Our townsfolk have learned to cope and get through a
Saturday with minimum impact from tha influx, and those of us
who are closet fens can watch the game at home or at a bar far
from the madding crowd.
Here's hoping the Dogs keep on winning, the TV continues to
foe js on our games and every fan can enjoy pasta Alfredo alfresco
downtown or anywhere else in our delicious city. To the victors
b long the spoils. Go Dogs!
Imagine the spectacle:
Sanford Stadium on a
Saturday afternoon—
half full.
Pete McCommons editor@flagpole.com
THIS WEEK’S ISSUE:
NEWS & FEATURES
Athens Rising 6
What’s Up in New Development
Seeing the very real effects of the ACC Comprehensive Plan all over town...
An Immigrant’s Story 10
Coming to Athens, Part 1
An Athens resident and recent immigrant describes his journey
to the United States from Mexico. Part one of a series.
TS & EVENTS
Grub Notes 15
No Relish Here
Hillary visits Fatz Cafe on the Eastside, and samples Starbucks’ sandwiches.
Lost Picture Show 19
Cure the Summertime Blues
This time around, a sweet ode to summer camp: Little Darlings and Wet Hot American Summer.
MUSIC
Building From The Ground Up 29
Pat Green’s Cannonball Finds The Country Star
Working The Grass Roots And The Mainstream
The Texas songwriter moved to a deeper lyricism after a string of well-received releases over the years.
Spotlight 30
Up & Coming Local Acts
Flagpole shines a light on local acts worthy of a first look.
This time around: hip-hop producer John “Vereencorp” Vereen.
CITY PAGES
4
LOST PICTURE SHOW ..
19
CAPITOL IMPACT
5
ABC
21
ATHENS RISING
6
PAT GREEN
29
COMMENT: TRANSPORTATION, PT. 2 .... 7
SPOTLIGHT
30
FAIR TRADE
8
RECORD REVIEWS ....
31
IMMIGRANTS. PT. 1
10
LINER NOTES
32
OUT THERE!
12
THREATS & PROMISES .
33
GRUB NOTES
15
COMICS
34
MOVIE DOPE
16
REALITY CHECK
35
MOVIE PICK
18
CLASSIFIEDS
36
COVER DESIGN by Kelly Ruberto
featuring a quilt by Kim Ritter
from "Women of Biblical Proportion”
at Lyndon House Arts Center
EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pete McCommons
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR & PUBLISHER Alicia Nickles
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Larry Tenner
MANAGING EDITOR Margaret Moore
ADVERTISING SALES Anita Aubrey. Melinda Edwards. Jessica Pritchard
MUSIC EDITOR Chris Hassiotis
CITY EDITOR Ben Emanuel
CLASSIFIEDS, DISTRIBUTION l OFFICE MANAGER Paul Karjian
AD DESIGNERS Ian Rickert. Kelly Ruberto
ILLUSTRATOR Jason Crosby
CARTOONISTS James Allen. Ruth Allen Cameron Bogue, Joe Havasy, Missy Kulik, Jeremy Long. Clint McElroy.
Jeremy & Christina Smith
ADOPT ME Special Agent Cindy Jerrell
ABC Chris Hassiotis
WRITERS Hillary Brown. Donn Cooper, Tom Crawford, Stephen Fleming, John Huie. Jyl Inov, Gordon Lamb,
Alan Sculley, Michael Wehunt, Drew Wheeler, Kevan Williams
CIRCULATION Charles Greenleaf, Jimmy Courson, Robin Mathews. Annie Page
WEB DESIGNER Ian Rickert
ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Nicole Haysler
ADVERTISING INTERN Charlotte Hundley
MUSIC INTERN Scott Reid
CONTACT US:
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MUSIC: music@flagpole.com
MUSIC LISTINGS: abc@flagpole.com
WEB SITE: www.nagpole.com
VOLUME 21
ISSUE NUMBER 35
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NEWS & FEATURES I ARTS & EVENTS I MOVIES I MUSIC I COMICS & ADVICE I CLASSIFIEDS SEPTEMBER 5, 2007 FLAGPOLE.COM 3