[Husker] Optimistic vignette

[Alan Siporin]

First, you have to realize I'm not in Lincoln or even Iowa or Kansas. Or
even Portland, Oregon, where there's a big Oregonians for Nebraska chapter.
I'm in Eugene, Oregon, where, if I'm lucky, I might see one other Husker cap
at a smoke filled bar on a Saturday morning at 9:00 AM to watch us try not
to lose to OU. 

This morning I spoke to a Eugene high school class that had just finished
reading my novel. When I took a spot in front of the class I noticed the
letters SKA on the end of a girl's sweatshirt. The rest was covered by the
girl in front of her. So, as I spoke I walked around to get a better angle,
and sure enough, in big red letters her sweatshirt read: NEBRASKA. I was
there to talk about the craft of writing and the subject of my novel, hate
crimes and skinheads. Not Husker football. But after ten minutes I finally
interrupted myself, looked at the girl and said, "I have to say, Go
Huskers!" Then I asked if her family was from Nebraska, or if she had ever
lived there, herself. She said she was six when she moved to Oregon. So I
asked her if she rooted for Nebraska. At that, she said, "of course," but
she also gave me this perfect smirk that said, how could you even ask
something like that?!!

It made me think that all our numbers, worries and concerns may speak
accurately about a potential downturn in wins and losses, and that even if
our loyalty has been built on fifty years of winning, it's been built, it
isn't going anywhere now. Husker football is unique. We've seen it take over
stadiums from Berkeley to South Bend to all the bowls in America. Streaks,
including the sellout streak, may end. We may wander through a series of
losing coaches, or Callahan might turn out to right his ship. Whatever the
short term may hold, that young girl turning up with her Nebraska shirt and
her assured loyalty, way over here in the northwest corner of the continent,
convinced me we will be back.

Go Huskers!
Alan Siporin