Hyundai Fanthropology: Our Collective Journey's Through Fandom

Hyundai is a rare supporter of college football. If you’re like me, and you watch college football from 6 am to 11 pm every Saturday, you see a lot of Hyundai ads. Hyundai is the title sponsor of the Heisman trophy and now they are extending some more good will to college football fans.

Hyundai is starting its Fanthropology by coming to SB Nation and its network of blogs. One diehard fan will win a sweepstakes prize of two airline tickets, hotel accommodations, and two game tickets to the regular season or bowl game of your choice.

You enter by commenting about why you’re such a diehard fan. I know the Addicted To Quack community has some of the most diehard fans in the nation, so I’m really hoping one of us pulls through. The best comment on this post will be a finalist to compete against the other finalists from each blog. After having a conversation with me we will submit your testimony of diehard fandom to the powers that be. Then it is up to the judges, or computers, whichever one Hyundai uses.

If you do not wish to enter the contest, please still write about your fandom! We have only a few weeks left in the regular season! (Single tear) So I’ll go ahead and get this party started.

Like the beginning of the hero’s journey my fandom has unknown origins. It is almost as if the very idea of following the Oregon Ducks was incepted in to my head by a Leonardo DiCaprio look-a-like sent by my dad to make sure, God forbid, I never became a Husky. Mission accomplished, am I right?

Most of my earliest memories are around Duck sporting events. I remember my first game at MacArthur Court vividly, when Oregon played Nevada and I sat way up at the top.

The fandom may actually have a solid beginning. When I was really little the Ducks made the Rose Bowl to play Penn State in the 94-95 season, and my dad decided not to take me, but promised the next times the Ducks went we would go together. Every year I would hope and pray the Ducks would go to the Rose Bowl, and it finally happened in 2009. Jokes on him, because he thought he was rock solid that the Rose Bowl trip wouldn’t happen again for a long time.

Over the years the fandom has gotten more and more passionate. As each offseason wages on during the months of April and May I remember how much I miss and love Oregon football. (And Basketball too, but let’s be real, football is pretty awesome)

This year, my final year of college, I decided to travel to every away game. (Except Arizona State) Coming back from the USC game my bag was stolen at the PDX baggage claim, and in the bag was a pair of Doernbecher Nike shoes, years old, that I only wore on game days. They were white with green and yellow, with lightning bolts on the side and webbed feet stitched on. When my bag was stolen all I cared about were the shoes, which are now not replaceable, but luckily the perpetrator was caught and my shoes were returned.

Every year I tend to view things in relation to the college football season, very similar to how people think of their birthdays or the New Year. Most importantly, my fandom of Oregon sports has led me to a community of people like me who care deeply about something that they have no control over. The games and weekends as a whole is a guaranteed time for fun with friends and family, and make up some of the highlights of my year.

Hopefully, and I know this is down the road, the Ducks win the national title this year. This season has been awesome thus far and would be a dream ending to a season that appears to be a culmination of all my fandom thus far. If it doesn’t happen, it was still a great ride, because being a fan of the Oregon Ducks is really fun. It is a blast to talk about it with my friends and family year round. I wish that fall could carry on in to forever, with a game every weekend. As much as this phrase belongs to another blog, I really do wish that every day would be Saturday.

By commenting below, you are subject to and accept the terms and conditions of the Hyundai Fanthropology Sweepstakes.