There is no right or wrong way to be a Georgia fan.
Watch casually, intently watch with the volume on TV down and radio up? That’s fine? Go to the games in person or stay home? Fine, that’s your call. Is getting a sideline polo each August your ritual? Great. If wearing an old UGA shirt you got as a Christmas gift in 2006 your preference? Go for it.
That’s what’s great about fandom of college sports. It should not matter where you stand except for one thing – you love the Georgia Bulldogs.
That should
include reliving a recent win by watching a game recap video as has been the case in the past few years. You can’t blame Georgia fans for being excited – UGA’s video team does high-level work.
But earlier this week, a clear line was drawn – taking part in this enthusiasm has a price per month.
Yep. To enjoy game highlights, even for a game you spent hard-earned money to attend, you have to pony up $20 a month to support Georgia’s NIL efforts. This is not meant to be anti-NIL. Support it if you want..or not. But gatekeeping basic tenets of being a Georgia fan, saying that you can’t have a seat at this table of enthusiasm is flat-out wrong.
And those outside Athens have also noticed, which is…not good.
Donor fatigue is a dangerous flirt with disaster. Fans are asked to make sure they have ESPN-aligned streaming services if they have cut the cable cord. In order to have the right to even request tickets, you have to donate to the William C. Hartman Fund. Attending in person, especially if you are from outside the Atlanta area, is more expensive than ever. And now its an obligation as a fan to support an NIL fund? No.
As long as Georgia CFB Playoff contends, fans will be bound to put up with certain discomforts. But if that runs dry, many Bulldog fans may have to consider if gatekeeping game highlights was the first step toward approaching a bridge too far.
In other news…Lane Kiffin has just proven that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Lots of coaches wish they could bottle Kirby Smart’s locker room presence…but the problem is that none of them are Kirby Smart.
Rankings mean little this time of year, but Georgia rising to No. 2 is nice to at least talk about…and for Brook Whitmire to stretch his vocal chords out in proclaiming.
Minus Saturdays in the fall, Athens is at its best in the spring at Foley Field. The SEC schedule for 2027 was announced Tuesday, and the last few series may as well be pre-NCAA regionals if those opponents perform as expected. The last two home series are against teams that were in Omaha last year, and the opener at home in the SEC is against Mississippi State, who of course was in Athens for a thrilling super regional.
