Manning to James
Indianapolis Colts vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville, FL
Sport is an integral part of the American experience, and no sport better personifies our collective obsession than football. Sure, baseball is our national pastime, but football packs more people into bigger stadiums with louder crowds, complete with such distractions as cheerleaders and tailgates.
On this weekend in Florida, John Grandefeld (of Memphis barbecue fame) joined me for a few days to experience Game Day at University of Florida in Gainesville for a match-up between the Florida Gators and the Arkansas Razorbacks, and then the following day for a Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts NFL game.
The heat was oppressive, and I was battling a cold, but entering a stadium that seats 85,000 people screaming while clad in their orange and blue is an experience unlike anything else. Although Arkansas isn't ranked like the Gators, they still are a familiar foe, and almost gave Florida a scare in the 4th when they went on a scoring drive. You don't have to even be a fan to get caught up with the emotion and excitement of those around you -- that's part of the fan experience that's ineffable to couch potatoes that never get a chance to see a game live.
The other interesting aspect of the day was the political presence outside the stadium of "Gators for Bush," or "Gators for Kerry." In the controversial state of Florida, where democrats and republicans seem evenly split, and "vociferous" (to use a word uttered by George W. Bush at the first presidential debates), it was ironic to see the game outside, as well as in, the stadium.
The following day was a chance to photograph my first NFL game courtesy of Bill Frakes from Sports Illustrated, whom I assisted at the Belmont Stakes earlier this year. If you think college fans are nuts (and they are), then you can begin to imagine what pro fans are like when fueled by equally balmy weather and alcohol. The Jaguars held an inexplicable 3-0 record going into Sunday, when they met the Peyton Manning, the QB of the Colts. During a mid-4th quarter tying touchdown, the crowd erupted into a frenzy, and I watched in amazement as Manning called "audibles" (last second verbal play changes following the huddle) over the din. He powered his team down the field to beat the underdog, but the game was exciting nevertheless for me.
A few days earlier in Pensacola, I sat down for dinner at the bar of Carrabba's, an Italian chain, and bumped into Gary McCraken, the photo editor of the Pensacola Journal News. His experienced with Hurricane Ivan made me rethink what I wrote about the destruction of the hurricane. When I told him that I had been driving around and I saw damage, but nothing like what I had seen on the evening news (which I called "sensationalist"), he told me that I should have seen it from a helicopter.
Later that evening, I checked out his paper's website to view a slideshow of his work. The destruction in Pensacola was widespread with 4,000 homes completely destroyed and uninhabitable. The landscape was dotted with 30,000 blue tarps on damaged roofs in a community with only 300,000 people. His own house had an oak tree fall through the roof causing massive water damage. He, like other Floridians, noted how quickly the clean-up efforts transpired, which might account for my experience.
John and I also made a brief trip to Disneyworld, where neither of us had been since our youth. Although Orlando has been significantly developed, Disneyworld remains virtually unchanged compared to my memory. We rode Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. John commented on how he was surprised that they hadn't updated anything, but I thought that it added to the sense of nostalgia that even 20+ years later, I could say, "Oh yeah, I remember this ride." We screamed like little girls on Space Mountain -- that rollercoaster in the dark is still scary after all these years.
So that's it. 48 states. 36,000 miles. 14 months. 2 cracked windshields (yes, it cracked again). But I've realized that the journey never really ends. Perhaps the updates won't be as frequent, but I will continue to travel this country of ours for years and years to come. There is so much to see and experience, and I've only started to tap the tip of the iceberg. After all these experiences, I'm just appreciative that America Is.