Who doesn’t enjoy sitting in a stadium in 90-degree heat watching a meaningless football game?
OK, so maybe that is not the best question to ask to convince people they should go to the Orange and Blue Debut on Saturday.
But despite dealing with the torturous heat, it is still a cool experience.
Let’s face it, the basketball team has not been exciting since the ‘04s left for the NBA, the smaller sports don’t thrill too many people and Florida has always been and always will be a football school, so there has not been much that gets students excited about around campus since the end of the football season.
Most fans are probably a little rusty with some of their cheers and their Gator Chomps aren’t as crisp as they were in the fall.
The spring game can also be a good time for most students to learn the words to the fight song so they don’t have to just mumble through it come fall.
Also, most Gators fans having been trying to figure out what to do on Saturday afternoons and have a good excuse to be drunk by noon since the team’s last home game.
That’s where the spring game comes in.
Fans get a chance to preview next year’s squad and get a dose of UF football while also having a reason to tailgate.
This year, even more so than the last few, there are plenty of questions surrounding the Gators heading into the next season.
What will the offense look like with John Brantley running the show at quarterback?
Who is going to replace all the starters on the defense?
Does UF have anyone who can catch Brantley’s passes?
Will coach Urban Meyer have a heart attack on the field?
All of those answers start getting clearer in the spring, and this is the fans’ chance to see some of those scenarios play out on the field.
To most, it won’t be the most exciting thing they’ve watched in The Swamp, but it’s better than not watching anything there at all.
Bring your sunscreen, hat and shades to the game because you are going to need them, but even with the heat, the spring game will give you a taste of next season that you couldn’t get otherwise.
And unlike a real game, if the heat gets too brutal, you can always just leave without getting ridiculed by the people around you, which is why there is no reason not to at least stop by the game.
