Reality Doesn’t Need to be Sensationalized for South Carolina

by Chris Paschal

Longtime Pittsburgh Steeler broadcaster Myron Cope explained it best when he said that “football is a passionate game.” It is. 

There is an intensity and a spirit that football is played with that is unmatched in almost every other facet of life. Sure, there are exceptions like combat warfare or fighting dangerous fires, but for the most part, football is the most primal and furious activity allowed in a civilized society. There is a lot of strength and a lot of power and a lot of testosterone. 

As a byproduct of football being a passionate game, football fans usually cheer their team on with fervor and zeal. Football fans absolutely ride the successes and failures of their respective teams. They experience anguish and they experience euphoria. That’s especially true in the SEC and even more true at Carolina. 

Carolina fans are fanatical and loyal. “As strong as our pride. As enduring as our passion.” I hope that never changes. 

That passion was exhibited in the northeast stands in Neyland Stadium this past Saturday. I was there. And I did not leave until the end. (A decision my pale skin paid the price for. Thank goodness for Aloe.) The fan in front of me screamed the entire first quarter imploring the referees to throw a flag on Tennessee for holding. (The funniest moment was when his young son said, “Dad, they could call holding on every play if they wanted to.”) The fan in front of him yelled out after every miscue and demanded someone tell him which Gamecock made the error.

My brother calls me “the internalizer.” And it’s true. It is very rare for me to lose my cool and yell out in rage when watching a football game. I just internalize Gamecock mishaps and allow college football to shave years off my life expectancy. But even I lost my cool when I watched Luke Doty pitch the ball to Jordan Burch who subsequently lobbed the ball into the endzone for an easy Tennessee interception. What in the world was offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield thinking? How in the world did head coach Shane Beamer approve of that play call? It made no sense, and I can confidently say it was one of the worst play calls I have ever seen. 

But there is a reason why I often try and not take to twitter or message boards during or immediately following a game. Because while football is a passionate game, it is important to try and remove the passion and the heartache and the excitement and the anger when analyzing and evaluating. The phrase cooler heads prevail is perfect for evaluating Carolina Football during the first year of the Shane Beamer era. 

Unfortunately, for David Cloninger of The Post and Courier, that sentiment is not shared. On October 10^th, the day following Carolina’s humiliating 45-20 loss to Tennessee, David Cloninger wrote a piece titled, “The end of the honeymoon and more: Takeaways from the Gamecocks’ loss at Tennessee.” It’s behind The Post and Courier’s paywall so I am not going to share its contents. But it was a hit piece against Shane Beamer and his staff. He ended the piece “once trust is lost, it never returns. Trust was intercepted on Saturday.” 

David Cloninger is a seasoned journalist who has covered Carolina football for years. He knows the coaches and he knows the history. But even more specifically, Cloninger knows the Gamecock fanbase. He knows how tired this fanbase is of losing. He knows how desperate this fanbase is for a winner. And he knows that if he can sensationalize reality, Gamecock fans will devour his column. 

The reality for Gamecock football right now is already stark. It doesn’t have to be sensationalized. The reality is that we have a young, relatively inexperienced coaching staff that is trying to figure things out right now. The reality is that our starting quarterback has an injured foot and is under pressure (what feels like) every single passing attempt he makes. The reality is offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield is struggling to call an offense that can score points. The reality is that Carolina struggles at the beginning of games. The reality is that through six games Carolina is 3-3 and hopes for a bowl game are bleak. The reality is that this is a significant rebuild and we are watching how the sausage is made. 

The reality is not that Shane Beamer lost the trust of the fanbase. For Shane Beamer to have lost the fanbase within the first six games, fans would need to see a team that doesn’t care. Fans would need to see a team that is uninterested. Fans would need to see a staff that has checked out. Fans would need to see a yearly pattern of blown chances, conservative play calling, and excuses. None of that has occurred. 

Last Saturday was painful. There is no other way to put it. Driving hours up to Knoxville, sitting in Neyland Stadium with the sun beating down on me, and watching Carolina trail by 35 points in the first half was one of the more unpleasant experiences I have had as a Gamecock fan, which is saying something. But I have not lost my trust in Beamer to turn this thing around. And I don’t believe the majority of y’all have either. 

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