I grew up in Crothersville, Indiana where the population is less than 1,500. There are barely enough student athletes to have a basketball team. We didn’t have a football team when I graduated… and football is still not a sport you can participate in if you attend high school there.
Population in the city where I now live is almost 20k and football here is a pretty big deal. Because my home is close to the high school, football season means I can hear announcing, the band playing at half-time, and the cannon boom when the home team scores. While I thought it might bother me after living in a quiet rural area for such a long time, I really love it. Those are the sounds of fall!
Last night was the Jackson Bowl. The two rivals — Brownstown Braves and Seymour Owls — faced off for the title win. Brownstown fans left a message for Seymour during the wee hours of pre-game night on the railroad bridge not all that far from the high school or from where I live.
I smiled. No ugly words were written — just a simple message — but it sure got some Seymour residents crazy mad. Ok, so I didn’t have to paint over it myself (city crews had it covered up by mid-day), but c’mon… why is that so offensive?
I have a cousin that’s a Senior on the Brownstown Braves team, so I wasn’t even tore up over the fact that Brownstown took the title this year.
