The only weekend void on April’s calendar makes the third Saturday a natural for National Spring Game Day. The Final Four and the Masters are done, the NFL draft a week away. NBA and NHL playoffs are just starting.
Many schools treated it as such Saturday when a full house piled into Nebraska’s stadium, and more than 84,000 turned out for Alabama’s national television game, despite the fact the Tide was crushed by Utah in the Sugar Bowl. More than 50,000 showed up at Tennessee to watch new coach Lane Kiffin insert a whistle, not his foot, into his mouth.
Spring intrasquad games are a time for little kids to get autographs and safely run around (except in a game, such as what happened at Colorado State in 2007). The grown-up fans soak up the sun and daydream a fourth-string running back’s stellar move against a walk-on freshman linebacker into All-America material.
Athletic departments push tickets sales.
Of course, the coaches spoil the reverie with universal pronouncements of “We’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
The Front Range, however, was as excluded from Saturday’s spring game celebrations as it is annually from the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.
CSU scrimmaged in the rain, the parking lot a muddy moat around the stadium. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate more for Colorado this weekend, but the Buffs won’t have anyone’s undivided attention. Debate over the Broncos’ first-round draft decisions will supersede discussion of the ongoing quarterback battle in Boulder.
Despite packed stadiums, spring ball is now merely one part of football’s year-round calendar instead of a distinct second season.
“There’s definitely in college football an emphasis on summer conditioning,” said CSU coach Steve Fairchild, who didn’t see the summer lessening spring’s impact.
Fairchild and CU counterpart Dan Hawkins are on the same page as far as not using the spring to announce a depth chart. They are polar opposites on opening practice to fans. Fairchild says, “Let them tweet, let them Twitter.” He had no objection to reporters describing the Rams’ gadget plays. Hawkins’ rant against fans’ photographic gadgets joins “it ain’t intramurals” in the Hawk hall of fame.
Hawkins told me this month that spring was his favorite time of the year because of the teaching possibilities. This is a really scary thought for the Buffs’ leader, but we think alike. Spring is my favorite time for football too.
As soon as it stops raining and snowing.
