10-18-2012, 11:21 AM
Okay, I'll bite. My take on "The Play":
Yes, it's a fun moment in sports lore. 5 laterals to win a rivalry game and the chaos of the band of the field is iconic. But I also find it telling that "The Play" is basically the only thing that the vast majority of sports fans know about Kal. They're defined by being on the positive side of one of the best known fluke plays ever. Not because of skill, talent, perseverance, intelligent play or any other positive athletic characteristic. They happened to luck into a last second win when the refs decided to stop calling the game. The way some Kal fans worship "The Play" comes across as a tad desperate.
Perhaps if I were at the game, let alone even a a football/Stanford fan at the time (I was 5 years old), perhaps it would carry more weight. But for me, "The Play" is just another symbol that the team across the Bay doesn't have any substantial football legacy for the past 30+ years worth noting, so they huddle around their smart phones and watch YouTube replays of a game from 30 years ago.
If you want to see a truly insane finish to a football game, check out this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eeEy060qrA
Yes, it's a fun moment in sports lore. 5 laterals to win a rivalry game and the chaos of the band of the field is iconic. But I also find it telling that "The Play" is basically the only thing that the vast majority of sports fans know about Kal. They're defined by being on the positive side of one of the best known fluke plays ever. Not because of skill, talent, perseverance, intelligent play or any other positive athletic characteristic. They happened to luck into a last second win when the refs decided to stop calling the game. The way some Kal fans worship "The Play" comes across as a tad desperate.
Perhaps if I were at the game, let alone even a a football/Stanford fan at the time (I was 5 years old), perhaps it would carry more weight. But for me, "The Play" is just another symbol that the team across the Bay doesn't have any substantial football legacy for the past 30+ years worth noting, so they huddle around their smart phones and watch YouTube replays of a game from 30 years ago.
If you want to see a truly insane finish to a football game, check out this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eeEy060qrA