Who’s got spirit?

Bulldog nation facing school spirit energy crisis after repeat losses

Every dog has its day, but the past two Saturdays have not been for the Bulldogs.

The last time Vanderbilt beat a ranked team on the road was in 1956. With back-to-back losses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee, it’s no wonder downtown Athens was relatively empty on Saturday night compared to past weekends.

The weather isn’t the only thing getting chilly in Athens. Fervor for the Bulldogs is well below freezing.

Two of our toughest teams to beat, Auburn and Florida, lie waiting patiently, anxious to push our boys in the silver britches even lower out of the polls.

In the past, Bulldog fans have been criticized for being fair-weather fans. Temperatures may be below freezing and the Bulldogs may have the worst season they’ve had in years, but that doesn’t mean fans should lose hope.

If The Red & Black is supposed to be a forum for student opinion, then we should back our student athletes in their endeavors to make it to the SEC Championship.

Not to sound like a pep squad, but how about a little more school spirit for our football team?

There’s been talk from students about canceling their hotel reservations in Jacksonville and selling the highly-coveted Auburn tickets at lower prices because no one wants to pay to see the Bulldogs lose on the road.

However, these predicted losses have not been set in stone.

If fans will yield Mark Richt and his boys a little faith, the Bulldogs can recover.

An offensive line that can block and a defense that can actually tackle may be the products of good karma from fans.

All hallow’s eve

Despite the mall decorations, holiday season is more than just Christmas

If you’ve entered a department store lately, you may have noticed a frightening addition to their inventory – Christmas decorations.

It seems that as soon as summer is over, stores bring out the tinsel and lights and bombard us with a countdown to the holiday season.

It’s not that we don’t love December and all its wonderful holiday goodness, but by starting Christmas in October, Halloween and Thanksgiving – two crucial autumn celebrations – are overlooked.

Halloween is the once-a-year chance to dress up like a fool and take candy from strangers without fear of social repercussions.

And Thanksgiving is the once-a-year chance to gorge yourself with turkey and pass out in your grandfather’s bed without having to deal with nagging from the parental units.

Why in the world would anyone want to bypass these holidays and jump on the X-Mas Express?

We all need to savor the uniqueness of fall and all that it brings – pumpkin patches, candy corn, cranberry sauce – before we jump into the overwhelming spend-fest that is Christmas shopping.