Everyone comes to college with an idea of how they want to spend their time. Some people come to spread their wings, some come for the parties, and some people, shockingly enough, come for the education.
But no matter the reason, everyone leaves college with memories and experiences that are unique, and their own. No one is the same person leaving college as they were entering it, and a big part of that is being around the diversity that colleges offer.
We live in times in which we are more connected than ever before. It’s easier to build budding relationships and keep them going because of this knowledge. But unless you meet those people, you’ll never have the opportunity to build relationships.
Sports offer a way for people of different ages, races and sexual preferences to come together for one common and insane goal. People who wouldn’t have meet otherwise stand shoulder to shoulder, screaming at referees, players, coaches and other fans as they root their team on to victory. They celebrate together, and they mourn together.
Being a part of something as large as athletics lends itself to absurdity and ass-kissing of the highest order. But it can be worth it. It can be life-altering. It can lead you to the man or woman that you eventually fall in love with, or a story that you can tell your grandchildren. I’ll never forget extra-inning win by the Braves with my dad, or the first Panthers basketball game I ever attended, against Life University.
In a nutshell: when you look back at your life in ten, twenty, fifty years, back on the days you spent as a student at Georgia State University, wouldn’t it be nice to have crazy memories of screaming at the Arena or the OT victory with your future spouse?
College is meant for memories. Let’s not waste time.
