Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential - Ohio State V Oregon | Ronald Martinez/GettyImages
For most of the Buckeye Faithful, Ohio State Football goes hand-in-hand with family.
Ohio State Family
I love watching the games with my family. Most of all, my dad. There are very few Ohio State games of this century that I’ve watched without my father. Sure, there have been some games here and there we’ve missed watching together. But most of the time, I spend my Fall Saturdays watching the Buckeyes play football with my dad.
This title game was different though, as it was the first National Championship my dad and I got to watch the Buckeyes play for together. When the Buckeyes played for the 2002 crown, I watched it at my buddy’s house. Back in 2006, I was sick with the flu, and the game only made me sicker. In 2007, I was at a friend’s home again. For 2014 win, my dad was two time zones away, meeting a new grandson. In 2020, he had Covid, and I couldn’t even watch the game because I was so worried about him.
My Dad has lived across nine different decades now. And chances to watch a team we love win it all are rare on their own. They only get rarer with each passing year. If this was the last championship that we would get to watch together then these guys made it one that we’ll never forget and always celebrate.
I’m thankful for this team for making it one that will be forever etched in my heart for reasons that go beyond the game and team I love. When we say Ohio Against the World, we mean our family against whatever challenges we may face, and we’ll take them on together.
Hearts of Scarlet and Gray
This is a small window into why we get so crazy about our Buckeyes here in Ohio. Why it’s so important and why we are happily part of the lunatic fringe that lives and dies with it. It’s why it’s okay to be crazy about it. (Not one of those morons that crosses the line with harassment or threats. They need help.) This is why it’s okay to love it.
I bleed scarlet and gray. My heart beats with Ohio State. I’ll criticize, yell, shake my head, and pick up the pieces of my heart when it breaks with the Buckeyes when we lose. I will shout, rejoice, wave my Ohio flag, and point to that scarlet block O when we win. I’ll always love Ohio State. As will my family, and that makes it that much more special. It puts it that much more in our hearts. Go Bucks! Ohio Forever!
