who do you root for?
ski
When it comes to professional sports it is fairly easy to determine who most people in Tampa Bay root for. In the NFL we root for the Bucs, in hockey we root for the Bolts. In MLB we root for, judging by the crowds, the Yankees and the Red Sox, followed by the home town Devil Rays. Most Tampa Bay-ites? Tampa Bay-ans? Most Tampa Bayans could care less about the NBA but if they do they likely follow the teams in Orlando or Miami. But who do we root for in college sports?
Most people tend to root for their alma mater, and failing that, root for the team that dominates the local sports scene. But in Tampa Bay we have several teams which dominate the local market, which are, in no specific order: Florida State, Florida, Central Florida, South Florida and Miami. FSU, UF and Miami have all been crowned, at one time or another, as the King in the one college sport that really matters, football. But that is not to say USF or UCF have been slouches when it comes to the pigskin.
Florida has the largest enrollment of the state universities (51,520) and is second nationally only to Ohio State (which is the only thing UF is second to OSU in). Surprising to me is that UCF and USF rank not far behind UF with enrollments of 46,719 and 44,038 respectively. FSU lags behind with 31,058, and private school Miami finishes last with an enrollment of 15,670 (which in some sense makes Miami’s football success all that more amazing).
Which leads me, in a round about kind of way, to asking who do you root for? Do you call yourself a Golden Knight or a Hurricane? Do you bleed Orange and Blue or Crimson and Gold? Or do you root, root, root for the home team?
Tags: education, sports, tampa, teams, usf
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April 9th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
My boyfriend and I both have 2 degrees from UM, so we’ll always root for “the U”!
April 9th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
When I went to USF, I don’t even think I knew they had any sports. When I went to UF for grad school, I couldn’t escape it. I also was there for the ‘97 national championship and had a few players in my classes.
I actually ended up leaving UF with more actual “school pride” than the time I spent at USF - where I pretty much had none.
Yet I moved back to Tampa because I liked this city as a whole, the people and the character more than I liked Gainesville.
Go Gators!
April 9th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
David… Tim and I need to get you out to a USF football game this fall. Sure, it’s not like the Swamp - but our brand of football is a lot of fun nonetheless.
AND we have fairly high expectations this fall, and a great home schedule.
Go Bulls!!
April 9th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
living with Tommy it is always the Tampa home teams…nothing else is allowed and I’m fine with that!
April 9th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
I’m a Miami fan because my first exposure to college sports was with the ‘Canes. But when USF played Miami a couple of years ago, it was Bulls all the way.
David - a lot has changed very quickly at USF. There is actually something like a buzz around campus during football season (the basketball will have to start winning before they get the same).
And the home games are becoming more entertaining every year; we’ve even started to develop a consistent section of overzealous, drunken fans in face/body paint, which we all know is the key to a solid college football program.
Things will really begin to change if USF plays one of the Big Three and wins. I dream of the day the Bulls beat the Gators.
April 9th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
GATORS!!!!!!!
April 9th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
JMU Dukes and UMD Terps. GO DUKES!!
April 9th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Golden Knights… although there is no doubt that USF owns us now in football.
Generally root for underdogs and having lived in Tampa for the past two years and my wife Traci being a USF grad, have turned into a Bulls fan as well.
As I think Joel said a while back, the home games are a great way to visit RayJay on the cheap. Have had good times at the games we’ve gone to.
If Grothe can stay healthy and some of the younger LBs step up, USF should be good again. As for UCF, our defense was pathetic last year and the warm feelings about having a big name coach like O’Leary is over- he needs to win.
April 9th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
Gators -> USF -> any Florida school that isn’t Miami -> any school that plays Miami.
April 10th, 2007 at 9:20 am
The appropriate term is “Tampans”.
Be careful pronouncing the second “a”.
The only reason Ohio State has such a high enrollment is because they can’t refuse an in-state applicant! Florida selects only the highest performers and has been actively trying to reduce undergraduate programs becuase of the heavy influence of their graduate programs.
Go Gators!
April 10th, 2007 at 9:39 am
I never really get into sports but I love ski’s posts just for his choice of pics.
April 10th, 2007 at 10:32 am
I bleed Green and Gold! BULLS!!! BABY!!
April 10th, 2007 at 10:42 am
In my house, we’re either routing for my alma mater, USF, or my husband’s, UCONN. We default to the other’s school depending on the team playing.
April 10th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
It should be no surprise that somebody named Chris Leak is a Gator. And good point, UF has increased enrollment while also raising the requirements for enrollment. That is, quite simply, not easy to do.
Thank you Jason, it’s good to know a little cheesecake goes a long way.
And dcdave, as a W&M grad I was a fan of the JMU student body when I was in school. The availability of the women might be the only redeeming quality to JMU.
April 10th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
The only reason Ohio State has such a high enrollment is because they can’t refuse an in-state applicant!
I have never defended Ohio State before, but this is a complete lie. Ohio State may have lower admissions requirements than Miami or Ohio, but they are higher than some of the other state universities, such as Youngstown State, Wayne State, Central State, and Akron.
October 16th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
Nice Boobs!