Speaking of universities, what do Virginia, Georgia, Clemson, Mississippi State, Louisiana State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Auburn, Tennessee, Miami of Florida, Florida, Maryland, Virginia Tech, South Carolina and Florida State have in common?
All of these schools accepted bids to play in the Chick-fil-A Bowl (Peach Bowl) since the Chick-fil-A sponsorship began in 1998. Over that period, the 450,000 students of these schools have cheered and supported their football teams through the regular season games and into the bowl game. The Chick-fil-A Bowl just experienced its 14 consecutive sellout in 14 years of sponsorship. At a capacity of 71,250, that’s just under 1 million fans who have attended the game during that period.
Could all those people be wrong? Insensitive? Unsupportive of the Serpentine Society (aka lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer interest group)? I think not. Most have never even heard of such a group.
I attended this year’s celebration with my family. We attended most of the events, including the fan fest, parade, pep rallies, pre- and post-game celebrations and the game. Not once did we see a single banner (among the thousands) that either supported the concerns of the LGBTQ or that offered protest or objection to the policies of the sponsor. Never was it even mentioned.
This is an athletic event: a reward to the athletes of great schools who practiced, sweated and achieved and who were rewarded with one more game and the hoopla that goes along with it; a reward to millions of fans who followed their teams into the bowl game; a time for families to enjoy a fun-filled holiday getaway, and a recognition for athletic conferences whose teams excel on the field. It is not a town-hall meeting or political arena, an event to be avoided in order to make a statement or support a cause, or a forum to offer protest to corporate policy.
Whether participants and attendees support the interests of the LGBTQ interest group or not, that’s another issue. Most could not care less. Whether in person or by television, they enjoy watching one of the highest-attended bowl games in the nation, one of only two major bowl games with an exclusive prime-time TV audience.
Wahoo-waa to Coach Mike London, University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan and Athletic Director Craig Littlepage and to the members of the 2011 football team for leading UVa to this prestigious event.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement