Imagine being the only person dressed up at a non-costume party. That’s kind of how most days during college football season are for me. This is because when most people wear red and black, I wear orange and blue. Gator blue that is. 

I became a Florida fan at the young age of five. Most of this was because of my Uncle Mike’s obsession with the team. This is my dad’s brother. He has Florida merchandise all over his house in Macon. He even has a dog named Gator.  My uncle also knows Tim Tebow and says good things about him whenever his name is brought up. 

The other side of my family also consists of Florida fans. I recently went to my cousin’s house in Miami, and his room could pass as a Florida merchandise store. I used to look up to him when I was younger, so his desire to be a Florida Gator was almost contagious.

I remember the day I finally got to go to my first Florida football game last fall. It was the annual Georgia-Florida game in Jacksonville. It was very exciting. We got to watch the band put on their amazing show. They spelled out  “Gators” in cursive on the field. I can’t imagine how long it took to coordinate that. Then, we watched the players come out. You could tell by the looks on their faces they were thrilled to play. Their excitement fueled the fans’ energy.

 It was hard to watch the Gators lose, but I am glad I was able to support my favorite team against their arch-rival. I also am glad I have nice friends who did not rub in the fact we lost. That was for this game though, people have rubbed it in my face before. My friends do it in a casual joking way, but my dad — a big Georgia fan — loves to rub it in my face and my Uncle Mike’s face when they lose. He does it as a joke too, so it is all just part of the game. No matter how hard he does rub it in my face though, I will always remain a Florida Gator fan.