On August 29, I sat in section 500-something at Scott Stadium — pleased to be one of the excited fans in a sold-out season opener against NC State. After last year’s 11-win season, I wondered if I was witnessing the rise of Virginia football again.
Despite Virginia’s dominating performance that day, the student section started dwindling. And soon, even the upper decks started looking sparse.
I guess winning by this much can be boring, I thought.
But, isn’t this what we’ve been waiting for?
Maybe it was
just a hot August afternoon, but NC State wasn’t a one-off occurrence.
I’ve seen the online discourse about Virginia’s football attendance. Some say we owe it to our team to show up — and to stay. Others say the program hasn’t done its part to keep or inspire fans.
Besides, Virginia football hasn’t always given us much to cheer for. And in defense of every student or fan that’s left a game before the fourth quarter (or even the third) — we aren’t really a “football school.” An 11-3 season doesn’t erase a history of disappointment, and it doesn’t promise a prosperous future, either. Winning — and doing so consistently — is a prerequisite to a strong football culture.
You have to win games to win over a fanbase. And you have to keep winning.
And yet, one of my favorite UVA football memories came from a loss. In late September 2023 from the empty Hill with my friends, I watched a last-minute comeback against, coincidentally, NC State. I vividly remember the stadium lights flashing in celebration of a fourth-quarter tying touchdown. I jumped in the air, pushing myself off my friends’ shoulders, cheering until I lost my voice, as we witnessed what we thought was a miracle.
But it wasn’t. Virginia lost 24-21 that night. We headed back towards the Lawn, heads hanging. “I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it.” We were crushed.
I’ll never forget how strong those feelings were, and how much we believed in our team.
A game that close is disappointing, but there’s something to it that keeps you coming back. I guess that’s why we call it the Wahoo Faithful.
I want a winning team as much as the next fan or alum. But the winning, honeymoon phases — no matter how short or long they last — feel a little more special when you can say “I remember when.”
I remember when I stood with other Wahoo Faithfuls in an empty stadium — repeating the common loser’s prayer, “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”
We may not be a football school today, but if we can challenge each other to rally for our team as often and for as long as we can — maybe we’ll play a part in making it happen one day.
