Yay! LSU won the golden boot (that no one cares about)! And in typical LSU football superfan fashion, Matt knew it would be a close game. (Shout out, hubby!) I actually paid quite a bit of attention to the game considering we were home to watch it, so I feel pretty well-informed on this one. I usually have a hard time focusing when I’m home, because I start to see things that need to be done if I sit in one place too long. Before you know it, I’m sorting 5 years worth of pictures or clipping my kids’ fingernails. We had family over which has a way of keeping my urge to putz in check. Not to mention, Matt and his brother are great at pointing out funny things during the game, so I am always thoroughly amused. It didn’t take long for the ridiculous commentary to start. This week’s nonsense began with a snotty-nosed referee in an ill-fitting shirt.
SEC officiating is awful.
Matt has finally conceded that SEC officials aren’t biased towards Bama. They just suck. I’m sure if you are reading this, you have a superfan in your midst. So, you know that LSU football superfans don’t just watch LSU. They watch every SEC game that weekend. (Because how else are they going to know how to defeat their opponents!?!) By the end of a weekend of nonstop SEC football, Matt had seen enough missed calls, “phantom” calls (I couldn’t help but visualize the Phantom of the Opera throwing a flag when I read this. Ha! Now you can’t either. You’re welcome.) and inconsistencies to see that officiating issues are widespread. The following is a direct quote from my superfan husband. “I know these guys have 9-5 jobs, but with all of the money the SEC makes we should hire them full time, pay more, and spend the off-season in training.” I have so many questions. First, these guys have another job? And a follow up to that, they want to do this thankless job so badly that they are willing to have two jobs to do it? Doesn’t seem very smart to me, or maybe that is the problem. Who knows, but it is obviously not easy to get referees anymore. They had to force this poor guy with snot dripping out of his nose to officiate the LSU vs. Arkansas game. He was obviously dragged out of his sick bed and made to wear someone else’s shirt at the last minute. They didn’t even give him a chance to stick a snot rag up his sleeve for emergencies. The camera crew eventually started to zoom out of his close-ups to minimize how pitiful he looked. Get it together, SEC!
Superfans love the new “redshirt” rule.
No. The new “redshirt” rule is not the rule that it is now acceptable to wear red and pink together. (So chic, right?) It actually has nothing to do with red shirts. New word of the day alert! A “redshirt” year used to be a year that a player didn’t play a single game. Once the player set foot on the field, that counted as a year towards the four years they were eligible to play. The new rule allows a player to play in up to four games and still be able to “redshirt” one of their five years. For superfans, it’s like getting to see a preview of the next season of “Westworld” before the end of the current season and only further encourages off-season obsessive behavior. With only a handful of games left this year, a lot of the freshmen have gotten a chance to play recently, and Matt likes what he sees. In fact, he went as far as to say that there are a few who have outplayed some juniors and seniors, but he doesn’t want to name names (like we would have no idea who they are anyway). I told him there is no need upsetting all of the LSU players who read this column. His judgy-ness is safe with me.
It is what it is.
Matt usually likes to give me some kind of improvement that should be made going forward this season. With only two regular season games left, he’s accepted that this is what the team will look like for the rest of the year. It’s similar to how parents feel about uniforms leading up to a school break. Yes, there is a gaping hole in your kid’s tights and a rough hem at the end of their pants. But with only a week left, it is what it is. We’ll regroup over the break (or freak out on Sunday night when we realize we did no such thing … then regroup the following weekend). Overall, Matt is happy with the team’s record of 8-2. But if something doesn’t change on offense for next year, LSU will never be able to compete for championships. And of course, superfans want championships.
I don’t know about y’all, but understanding more about what is going on in the world of LSU football has made it a little more bearable. And while I have enjoyed partnering up with my superfan husband to write these posts, I am getting anxious for football season to be over. We are only weeks away from the holiday season, and as a mom, it’s time for me to start making everything magical around here. So, let’s move this thing along, superfans. Mama’s got to make her list, check it twice, and then wait until the last minute to buy it online with express shipping charges.
Yours in solidarity,
The Slightly Interested, Mostly Amused Wife of an LSU Football Superfan
