Phog Virginity
Tonight I had my first experience at the Allen Fieldhouse, named after legendary head coach, Forrest "Phog" Allen. KU played archrival Missouri in the Border War, which stems back to the civil war when Kansas "Jayhawkers" waged guerilla attacks on the confederate state of Missouri. The civil war ended in 1865, but the schools resumed athletic battle starting in 1891 on the football field. The border wars have been raging ever since and KU celebrates by breaking out the "muck fizzou" shirts.
I was promised at least three goose bump moments during the game and was not disappointed. During "Rock Chalk Jayhawk" I had the first round of goose bumps; I had round two when the students started chanting in unison and the Fieldhouse seemed to sway; and when the Jayhawks took the court and everyone erupted, I had round three. Good times. Actually I misspoke. I had four goose bump moment was when I wiped out on the ice and landed flush on my ribs. Good to know that I can look forward to a broken hip when I'm old and really can't walk.
The game was back and forth from start to finish, primarily due to an unbelievably piss-poor job of officiating by the refs, but it certainly made things intense. After seven years of watching Steve Alford dribble-around-the-parameter basketball, it was a fresh as the zero-degree Kansas wind-chill to watch some real basketball. KU passed, they moved, they defended, and played 6 on 5 the entire game. I've been to Iowa State and seen Hilton Magic first hand, I've seen the Hawkeyes knock off top rated Michigan teams, I watched Iowa live in a crazy bowl game, I've been to NFL, NBA, and MLB games, but have never seen a crowd like I did tonight.
It's not so much that KU fans yell loud—that happens at any sporting event. The difference is that KU fans earnestly believe their yelling will change the game—it does. My cousin and I were sitting towards the rafters and our ears were still ringing through the entire game. Every time the Jayhawks needed a boost, the volume swelled and seemed to engulf Missouri when they were on offense. Missouri looked a half-step slow with unsure cuts; it looked like the cheers and taunts clung to their jerseys to disrupt the offense. Despite the game staying close, it just seemed like KU would win. It seemed, and proved to be true, that the fans would not let them lose.
When the buzzer buzzed, KU won by 3 and the Fieldhouse erupted for a final time. The fans started waving the wheat to send Mizzou back across the border. After 2 ½ hours of yelling, everyone finally caught their breath. Great foreplay, long lasting, a little dirty talk, and a big finish at the end—welcome to KU basketball.
