Chicken wing platters and nachos; everyone in red, white and black screaming at the TV; Ohio State scores a triumphant touchdown on the TV screen. Sophomore Ian Thornsbury’s family loves college football, and like most big football fan, they get together every game day. 

Why do you love football? 

The thing that unites football fans is their massive love for the game of football, and even greater love for their team.

Junior Ryan Davis is a Florida Gators fan who has attended two games this season and many more before then. He has always loved going to the games with his family.

“I love football because it’s exciting to watch and I can bond with friends and family while watching,” Davis said. 

For most fans, their love of football, and the teams they follow, is passed down from their parents.

“My love for football definitely comes from my father. He was a college football player and me and him have always been watching football together,” senior Colton Stephens said, who is also a fan of the Florida Gators. “it’s just a thing we bond over.”

While most people support local teams, other fans support teams from all over the country, usually from a city or state they used to live in, or where they have a lot of relatives. This can create some challenges., which creates other challenges. To go to most out of area games fans have to fly there and turn it into a multi-day trip.

Junior Leandro Gutierrez does not like the local college teams. Instead, he is a huge Nebraska Cornhusker fan. When he lived in Virginia he went to many games but ever since moving he hasn’t been to one since 2016. 

“Ever since I was 5, I have been playing football and I have been a fan for as long as I can remember. When it comes to football I don’t think I will ever not love the sport,” Gutierrez said.

Born and raised 

While there are fans who start to follow a team when they are good or get popular, the most hard-core fans are fans from birth. They are born into the team due to their parents or even grandparents.

“I’m a fan of the Florida Gators because they are relatively close to where I’ve lived all my life and both my parents and two of my grandparents went to UF, so they are huge fans,” Davis said.

Usually, the entire family roots together, but dads are almost always the biggest fans. The moms usually still watch but don’t care nearly as much.

Sophomore Ian Thornsbury was born into a family of Ohio State fans, and while he has never been to a football game, he plans on going to one this season. “My love for Ohio state has been passed down from generations because the family has always lived in Ohio so we have always loved it,” Thornsbury said.

Football might bring everyone together, but it is more meaningful when the love is passed down from generation to generation. From dad to grandpa loving the same team, the love is not just for sports, it is for the memories it holds.

“I love the Steelers whether they are having the best run of their life or if they are biting the dust…I’ll always be a fan and that comes from how I was raised,”  junior Elle Kushner said.

While most fans get their love from parents, some find their own team and start new traditions, which might someday be passed down to future generations.

“I became a Steelers fan when I started watching a really good game one day when I was waiting in an airport between Pittsburgh and Green Bay,” junior Carson Schumacher said.

Football game traditions 

Whether they are sitting with friends eating, watching the game or bonding with the family, everyone has a different way to watch.

Freshman Colton Beams, a diehard Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, has been to a couple of games throughout the seasons. “We normally would have a cookout at the house or tailgate if I’m going to the game,” Beams said.

For many fans their game day consists of eating, watching the game, and screaming at the TV for the next three hours. Some even go to restaurants that play the games like Miller’s Ale House.

“We just sit down and watch and my dad has a thing that he can’t walk away from the game or they will start losing,” Kushner said.

Kushner’s dad is not the only one with winning game rituals; some families have superstitions for the game like wearing the same shirt or socks, or even only eating a certain food for breakfast.

“Every game day I wear a Tyreek Hill jersey, and before every game I call my great grandpa and ask him how the game will go,” junior Kyle Galarza said.

Football is not only about supporting a team, it is more about the history and relationships that come out of it. From crazy fans that go to every game to fans who just watch at home, everyone has different styles of enjoying the game, but all of them have one thing in common: a love for football.