Had a friend call me today and give me two tickets to the KU-Texas game. It was senior day at the Phog and I took Cooper with me.
I’ve been to 3 games at the Fieldhouse. My first game was a Texas game, back in ’97. Amy and I went. Cooper was there too, inside Amy. My second game was last Sunday. This was my third. I think I can honestly say that Allen Fieldhouse has to be one of the best atmospheres in all of college sports. Maybe in all sports.
It’s like going to church for the first time after not going in a while. They have their own songs they sing, when they sing it, and how they sing it. They have their own ‘order’ of worship, their liturgy if you will. And the benediction…
Rock Chalk, Jayhawk KU.
At any rate, going there with Cooper today was incredible…to see it through his eyes. The intro video, the cheers, the student section, the noise, the intimacy of the Phog. After the game was over and the fans were leaving he looked at me and said – “I don’t want to leave. Do we have to?”
What makes a sports place sacred? Stories like today when a dad gets to take his son or daughter and share a memory that is larger than them both. When they can yell and scream, wave the wheat, boo the refs, and laugh together – that makes a place sacred.
And I’m thankful for these times.
Home
2 Comments
No doubt – sports provides incredible opportunities for dads and sons. I got to watch the game with my dad (and my two brothers and two nephews). We screamed, yelled, got ticked off. . .wished the other team had won.
We don’t get opportunities like this very often – my dad, youngest brother, and nephew live in Texas. My middle brother and nephew live in North Carolina. And I live in Oregon.
Cherish these moments!
I remember taking my oldest daughter Kaitlyn to her first KU game at Allenfieldhouse. It was a very memorable day. I was so excited to share this experience with her. Not only was this her first ever KU game, they were playing the current #1 team in the nation that day…Arizona. Our seats were in the NE corner of the PHOG! A cow bell rang in our ears. KU came out smoking. They led by double figures at halftime and that’s when the fun began. Kaitlyn wasn’t feeling well…she didn’t want to leave because she said she knew how much this game meant to her dad. We left….what, how can you leave that game at halftime. My daughter was sick. All the way out to the parking lot she kept saying I feel bad that I made you leave. I told her I didn’t give it at second thought…well, maybe later I did…but not then. Good thing…we made it to the west side of Lawrence and pulled through the McDonald’s drive thru to get her a 7Up. As I’m ordering her drink, she opens the passenger door and YUP…the person taking my order thinks I’m being a wise guy as all they can hear is her getting sick. She felt better, but I don’t think the car behind us ordered after seeing that. We made it home to Topeka and by time we got there, the Jayhawks had…LOST. Unbelievable! I told Kaitlyn she must have been a good luck charm, because while she was there they looked unstoppable. We leave and they get smoked. She will never leave a KU game early again.