I performed a public service on Saturday. I managed to drag a non-football fan to her first game at Autzen Stadium.
There’s nothing like the perspective offered by seeing the Duck football tradition through the lens of the uninitiated.
Decked out in my kid-sized #11 jersey and a green and gold jacket, I went to pick my friend up at 10 a.m. and was struck by equal parts mortification and amusement when she opened the door wearing a powder blue and pink tie-dyed T-shirt.
“You’re not wearing that are you?”
Thou shalt not walk into Autzen Stadium next to a friendly face dressed in enemy colors. I beg her to wear something yellow or green out of my wardrobe, which I’ve been told resembles a clothing rack from the Duck Store.
She steadfastly informs me that she will not wear yellow, but that she’ll be neutral, changing into an olive green T-shirt. It’s not exactly Duck green, but hey, it’s green.
The journey continues. We pick up a posse along the way, and proceed to majestic Autzen Stadium. Going up the stadium’s main steps, I sneak a look at her, and grin in satisfaction at the semi-awestruck look that she’s trying to hide.
At Autzen, we find seats and she gets her first look at the raucous gameday festivities.
Kickoff. I join all the crazed Duck fans around me going “Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” accompanied with the signature ‘O’ formed by both hands. Bobbing up and down on the bench is not required, but strongly encouraged.
My friend doesn’t join in right away, but by the third quarter, it’s evident that the girl’s getting into it. Her Ohhhhs are at least as loud as my own, and her ‘O’ is a perfect circle. She’s not quite bobbing yet, but we can work on that next game.
Duck fans go crazy when we score, curse the Bruins when they score, and curse our own team when they make bonehead mistakes.
So imagine how jarring it was for me to spend the game next to someone who insisted on applauding effort over result.
She muses over the psychological motivation of the defensive line: Don’t they get bored just bunching together and blocking all the time? It must suck to never get the ball.
Everyone groans when Brian Paysinger fails to catch a pass aimed at the end zone. My friend empathizes – hey, he tried his best.
When UCLA scores on a touchdown reception, my friend goes, “Good job!” People stare.
But at the end of the third quarter, she looks at me and smiles, “I love Oregon.”
At that moment, I understood how my mother must have felt when I first said “mama.”
I shoot her an I-told-you-so grin.
“I told you it was awesome. It’s all about being here and realizing you’re a part of something this big. Amazing huh?”
She just cocks her head and says that wasn’t quite what she was going for, but she just loves Oregon.
I shake my head at her and sigh: What will we do with the Duck fan in denial?
We’ll shoot for a coming-out party next game.
So do yourself and someone else a favor: Make the Portland State game next weekend a ‘Take a Non-Fan to Autzen Stadium’ day. Not like that game is going to matter otherwise, right?
[email protected]