The College World Series is not college football: And this is a good thing

The College World Series is now my favorite sports event, and the reason why is hokey, but it’s my reason: it’s because the people that I met there last week were so … not out of their minds drunk and belligerent.

Which is to say, not college football fans.

I spent last Saturday, between the UVA games on Friday and Sunday, walking around the ballpark just being a fan, which is a rare treat for me, to be able to get out of the bubble of the press box or press row.

Now, don’t get me wrong: I love the press box and press row, at least the good seats, especially for college football.

The elevation of the press box and sitting between the 40s is the ideal way to watch college football.

And then, they usually feed you.

So, no, I’m not complaining when I say it was good to get out of the press bubble.

And in the interests of full disclosure, the bubble is nice, because the last few times, ahead of my trip to Omaha, where I’d been able to be at a game as a sports fan were, you know, they were not good.

College football games, for instance, are not so much sporting events as a meeting of fight club hosted by a fraternity on double-secret probation.

My last time as a fan at a UVA football game didn’t involve just one kid passing out at my feet, and just one kid breaking a bone drunkenly falling down the hill in the open-ended part of the stadium.

The ushers were in triage mode, it got so bad out there.

The College World Series is a study in contrast.

For starters, I didn’t even hear folks getting upset at the umps, which was odd, because everybody hates the umps.

I actually felt bad for the umps, it was so quiet in their direction.

And while there were plenty of adult beverages flowing, it wasn’t a drunken orgy, like a college football game.

Maybe because so many of the teams in Omaha this year are there on a regular basis, the fans all seemed to know each other, or know of each other.

I talked with folks there to root on Florida, LSU, Tennessee, Wake Forest and TCU as I made my way around last weekend, and every conversation went the same way – is this your first time here, what do you think your team’s chances are, well, nice meeting you, good luck to your guys.

Imagine that at a college football game.

I’d long since given up on sports fans being decent people, but my three days in Omaha has me believing again that people can be, you know, decent to each other.

College football season is, of course, around the corner, which, yeah, cue the kid who doesn’t know what the score is throwing up two days worth of food on his old school Chuck Taylors two seats down.

I can’t wait. Can you?