Untied Nations

Yesterday, in the span of four hours, I watched a Bulldog Team fall from the preseason grace it never really earned, and I watched a Bulldog Nation disband in ways I couldn't have imagined.

I watched a travesty. I won't single out which part because, well, I'll just let you pick one and that's the one we'll go with. We'll get into the X's and O's more on the podcast this week, but that's not what I'm writing about today. I'm still way too hurt, disappointed and angry to do that today. Besides, I haven't watched the DVR of the game, so I'm not completely sure that what I think went wrong, was in fact what went wrong.

Now, before I go any further, I need to be clear about something. Some parts of this post are going to come across like I'm bashing a certain sect of the Bulldog Nation. That's not it at all. Being upset at anything means you at least care about something. That in and of itself is a testament. So don't get your feelings hurt if something I say singles you out.

Ok, moving forward. I'm sure some of you read the title and thought I misspelled "united." Let me reassure you that we are as far as possible from a United Nation. Being a Bulldog fan all my life, I've seen bad. However, in this age of the internet, the grumblings are public, they are loud and in some instances, they are embarrassing.

Last night, in Section 313, Row 22, I watched two grown men wearing Georgia gear willingly rooting against our team. When it briefly looked like we might have a chance to get back in it, they left. Then, as the tweets started flowing into my timeline, I was literally shocked to read some of the things I read. 

One person tweeted directly at Aaron Murray and Aron White and told them that THEY had wasted his money. The man who sent out the tweet was a grown adult and has since deleted it. However, the damage was done and he wasn't the only one to do something like that.

I've said multiple times that our players shouldn't be on Twitter. I think it does much more harm than good. We fans love to interact, but yesterday was the final nail in the coffin for why it's got to stop. At this point, we've got to protect the team from ourselves. How sad is that? 

Like I said above, you're mad because you care. I'm mad because I care. I'm mad because no matter what I do, I'll always be a Georgia fan. Trust me, if I could shake off the way I feel today, I would do it in a heartbeat. Who would want to put themselves through caring as much about a team that has so drastically underachieved? 

However, calling them underachievers is a fair assessment. The things I've seen over Twitter and read on message boards are an abomination. We as a fan base should be ashamed of ourselves. How is it that we let it go this far? Are we this mad because we lost, or because we lost while looking like the same team that played Central Florida? I can understand being angry in either scenario, but I can't understand it at the level I'm seeing right now.

You may say it's folks blowing off steam, but honestly, do you think you're doing anything but hurting the team? You think these kids don't read what you're saying? It's like the jack wad I saw last night that steamrolled a trashcan out of frustration while everyone was leaving the Dome. I know he was mad, but did he even realize that the trash he scattered about and the glass he broke might affect someone other than himself? That someone else had to clean up the mess he just made or that someone else (like a kid) may cut their foot on the glass he just broke? No, it never occurred to him because he was so blinded in his anger that he selfishly did what he thought would accurately vent his frustration. 

When did it become our natural birthright to say and do whatever to our team just because we're fans? I understand you paid for a ticket. I did as well. But do you really think $55 -- $85 entitles you to say whatever you like to whomever you like? Hand a hundred to a cop the next time he pulls you over and see how that works out for you.

Kyle's post from the other day that had so many wonderful quotes made me do some research to see if I could find a good one that reflects what is seemingly a disbanded Bulldog Nation, or at least the negative segment of it. Here's what I found:

By gnawing through a dike, even a rat may drown a nation. -- Edmund Burke

Be upset. I am. What we saw yesterday will do this team, this fan base and the future of this program no good. Things must change. We can disagree on what "change" means, but we all agree that what happened last night isn't how this team is going to rediscover former glory. That said, what good does it do anyone to be the person who takes it too far? To be the person who yells "Fire" in a crowded theatre just to see if anyone believes you?

Your anger may want you to do that, but you're a Georgia fan, damn it. You're better than that just by wearing the Red & Black. At the end of the day, you're still from Georgia and they're still not. Act like it.

We're all tired. We're tired of seeing what we've seen for three years now. We're tired of eating our own for the sake of having a meal. We're tired of months of optimism for four hours of a reality check. I'm not trying to change your mind about how to feel, but I can say with 100% certainty that tweeting stupid messages at our players, booing them at games and leaving hateful notes on their Facebook pages does nothing towards your cause. 

Yes, things suck right now. IT'S BAD, FOLKS. What do you want me to tell you? That it's not? 

I don't have a good way to end this post. Seriously, I have no idea how to close it out. So, I'll try a plea. If you care about this program, don't go out of your way to make it worse. Because in the end, "worse" is called that for a reason.

Do we really want to go there?

Until next time kids.

Be safe.