Geaux Tigers

For as long as I can remember, purple and gold has run through my veins. It has never mattered what sport, I have always cheered on the Tigers of LSU to maximum capacity. The first LSU sporting event I can recall is a football homecoming matchup against Iowa State sometime in the 1990s in the DiNardo-era when it was rare for 80,000 fans to show up to even the biggest of games. From then, I was hooked.

            My entire life, I have imagined myself as a student at LSU, at the very least. When my dreams of playing collegiate baseball were cut short in my senior year of high school after a torn rotator cuff, I made that image a reality. I gave up the leather and spikes to work towards a degree of some sort in Baton Rouge. I started that trek as a History major but quickly learned that wasn’t the field for me. After lots of searching, I settled in for two years as a Sport Administration major with hopes of one day earning one of the high billing jobs in the industry such as a General Manager in professional baseball or an Athletic Director at a top tier university. Through a connection, I made my first strides towards making that dream come true. In September of 2010, I began working for LSU Athletic Facilities, an area that I knew nothing about. That job has lead me to more twists and turns than I care to recount, but in a relatively good way.

            The past two years have taught me more lessons that I could have ever imagined. As a student worker, I have put in many more hours of labor than I have schoolwork, something I take pride in. I give tours to crowds as big as 200 people of Tiger Stadium and get to watch people fulfill life-long dreams of seeing some of LSU’s most sacred grounds. I step foot on every single seat in the football stadium after every football game to ensure that no damage has been done to this collegiate football cathedral. I also drive some of LSU’s smaller athletic teams to and from the airport for extra pay which allows me to mingle with some of the greatest minds in college athletics.

            In the spring of 2011, I finally decided on an academic path as a dual-major in Mass Communication (Public Relations) and Sport Administration (Sport Commerce) with a minor in Business Administration. The Mass Communication side of my education opened up a completely new chapter in my life with sports journalism. Randomly, I applied as sports writer for The Daily Reveille on campus and got a position covering football recruiting and tennis. While I was a self-proclaimed expert on everything dealing with LSU football, I knew nothing about tennis. During the spring of 2012, I took on the role perfectly. I embraced the new job, along with my job in the athletic department, and used it as a stepping-stone. I was blessed to cover huge events such as the Bayou Bash, a recruiting spectacle held in the Baton Rouge River Center to celebrate the future stars of LSU football, and write important features on them. In the past month, as a result of my work, I accepted a position as the Director of Operations for the LSU Men’s Tennis team.

            However, that does not begin to describe my passion for everything that LSU represents. When learning that I was studying in Europe, I was immediately excited to learn about the fans of European soccer teams. The enthusiasm that Europeans show towards their respective clubs has always intrigued me, though I know absolutely nothing about the sport. Being a life-long LSU fan has made me appreciate the true passion and culture behind a team, something I do not feel that many Americans have. I will argue and fight until my face is blue to defend my Tigers.

            The pinnacle of my LSU fandom was reached on November 5, 2011, when LSU and Alabama faced off in the infamous “Game of the Century”. I made the trip to Tuscaloosa not knowing what kind of fan base I was up against, and I quickly learned it was not one for the light-hearted. There were several close calls with ignorant rednecks, and what I thought to be classy females. I was referred to as “Louisiana trash” several times, but it did not waver my confidence in the slightest. I thought my life was going to hit its highest point in New Orleans for the National Championship, but unfortunately, due to what I still believe was shady coaching, my heart and soul was absolutely crushed. It is still hard for me to show highlight tapes of the 2011 season to “fans” and not get upset that the video doesn’t show Les Miles hoisting up the crystal ball with glee.

            My favoritism towards LSU is not to be confused with a purple-and-gold bias. I perfectly understand the sports world and all the great teams that compete. I know when to take the gold-tinted glasses off and to look at the sports world from a realistic view. I was one of the few LSU fans who predicted the collapse of the baseball team’s run against Stony Brook this season before it occurred.

            I really think not a single LSU fan appreciates this team and school as much as I do. In a way, it perfectly embodies who I am as a person; passionate and loyal. I don’t believe there is a single school as unique as LSU. The culture makes us one-of-a-kind. We have the most successful baseball program in the country to go along prominent basketball, track, softball and gymnastics teams. Our fans bow down to nobody. We will out cook, out cheer, and out drink any fan base in America and that is not to be taken lightly. We will travel to any corner of America to watch our Tigers play and will always support the team even when times are hard. I love my Tigers and forever it will show through my work in the athletic department and through my education.