Tuned into ESPN in passing earlier today and was floored by the “Good Call/Bad Call” segment regarding college football. The question was posed, “Good Call/Bad Call” regarding Georgia’s celebration after their first touchdown against Florida last weekend.
Kirk Herbstreit said the call was ‘good’ as it was a motivational tactic use by Georgia’s Mark Richt and seemed to spark the Bulldogs in their 42-30 beat down of Florida.
I’m shocked 68% of fans were actually cool with this. Almost 7 of every 10 people don’t give a damn that Georgia rushed the field against Florida after a score and rolled a mosh pit all the way back to the sidelines? Why did our call-everything-out and dissect it (ad nauseam) sports community decide to give a coach, team and program a pass?
We’re talking about a planned act that could’ve incited a friggin riot at the game better know as “The World’s Largest Cocktail Party”.
That means NASCAR caps, turkey legs and fists flying in the stands. Hafields and McCoys: The Remix.
What is the percentage of fans who let this slide if it’s not Georgia taking out the defending champs after losing 15 of the last 17 to Florida? People wanted to see the defending champs go down, so the play makes good folklore in the rivalry’s history.
Miami took more grief ‘dancing’ for ten seconds during a replay time out against North Carolina than Georgia did for a planned celebration after a score.
I still like the call by Richt and loved seeing Gators shell-shocked regarding what went down – but, I want more consistency from the media and the college football community. Everyone gets a free pass for this or nobody does.
It shouldn’t matter if it ‘worked’ and the Dawgs won the game. College football is over-policed and if a handful of other programs pulled this stunt, they’re getting raked over the coals for days, called thugs, chastised, etc.
The double standard sent out by the media and college football community makes me sick sometimes. Pick a friggin side, people. Excessive needs to be defined across the board; not case by case and a bias.
Either way, hats off to Richt. Maybe because of what was at stake, he knew he could get away with it. Guerilla Warfare. Better to just do and beg for forgiveness than ask and be told “no”. I think it was a message for Georgia to fire their asses up. It wasn’t about Florida. Or was it?
Whatever the case, Georgia beat Florida and added another layer of hatred to the rivalry. In the era of YouTube, no less. Even better, they flew under the radar and didn’t get in trouble for the stunt. Talk about the ultimate win-win – whether carefully planned or just dumb luck.
.:Canes305:.