Just a few disjointed thoughts on this topic.
A big deal is being made of USC - Texas outdrawing the Rams and chargers combined. Of course, LA has never cared much for pro football.
My theory, after observating Jaguar fans for years, is that pro football is largely a television sport.
I have always thought that the level of interest nationwide in say, the Super Bowl, is a thousand miles wide and a millimeter deep. For most, It's a reason for partying and socializing without a deep interest in the game itself.
Blacks tend to be more heavily invested in pro football. Probably because their connection with major colleges doesn't span the generations like White fans. They also tend to be more heavily identified with the urban scene.
As a footnote, I've seen women weep over college football. Ive never seen a woman weep over a Pro football game.
I'm certainly biased, having only attended a handful of pro games in my lifetime. But to me, the electricity at a college game is far greater. I think this is due to the debt of feeling and emotion in the fans themselves.
James Mitchner wrote a Book years ago called "Sports in America". In it, he likened the behavior of Alabama fans to people undergoing a near religious experience.
The more avid pro football fans I know are prone to dryer discussions and arguments about individual players techniques and salary caps etc. They seem to relish the details of the game moreso than many college fans. It is more of an intillectual exercise and less of an emotional one.
There have been times in my life when I have turned to Alabama football out of some emotional need that would be hard for me to define. There are times when I have grieved over loses as intensely as I have grieved over deaths in the family. Clearly, there have been times when my self esteem has been wrapped up in the fate of that football team. I know it seems pathetic, but it's true, although with age the depth of feeling and the highs and lows of Bama football have been brought more into proper perspective.
There is something primal about college football. Something tribal.
Something that I can't fully put into words. Suffice it to say, it stirs the soul and is filled with terrible anxieties and great joys. And there is something about those Saturday afternoons. It's something in the air. It something timeless that takes you back. The crimson triggers feelings in this old man that I felt at 19 years old when I walked that campus.
There is something everlasting about college football.
