Chaos in the Blink of an Eye by Patrick Higgins

Author:Patrick Higgins [Higgins, Patrick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780999235508
Publisher: Unknown
Published: 2015-09-18T04:00:00+00:00

10

IT WAS SATURDAY MORNING. Game day. The dawn of one of college football’s biggest weekends. For many collegiate teams, it was rivalry week. It would conclude next weekend, but the majority of rivalry games would be played this day—both in-state and out-of-state.

In a few short hours, archrival college football teams would declare all-out war on each other. The battle would take place on the gridiron and wouldn’t end until a victor was ultimately declared.

Besides the famed Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, many other storied contests would be renewed this day. Florida would play archrival Florida State. Virginia Tech would play Virginia. Auburn would play Alabama. Georgia would play Georgia Tech. Oklahoma would face Oklahoma State. USC would play UCLA. Utah would play BYU (Brigham Young University). Washington would battle-it-out with Washington State. Arizona would play Arizona State. Oregon would play Oregon State.

And the list went on...

Truly, this was the best time of year to be a college football fan.

In stadiums all across the nation, behind-the-scenes preparations were being expedited with great speed and efficiency. University employees and volunteers, team boosters, vendors and the like—thousands in all—were frantically completing their checklists. Deliveries were being made. Food was being prepared. Souvenir booths were being stocked with all sorts of paraphernalia. Ticket vendors were setting up shop. Ticket scalpers were setting up shop, illegally, of course.

The press was assembling. Come game time, those not fortunate to be up in the broadcast booths calling the games would line the fields of play, hoping to capture still photographs for newspapers and magazines, and sound bites for the evening news and the internet.

Soon, very soon, millions of crazed fans would be in their glory.

At 8:00 a.m., Detroit’s Wayne County Metro Airport was abuzz. Flights landed one after another, from all across the country and the world. Most planes were full of Michigan and Ohio State fans and alumni.

Delta flight #1463 arrived from Columbus, Ohio a few minutes ago, loaded with over 100 exuberant Ohio State Buckeyes fans. Michigan fans inside the airport terminal wasted no time heckling them.

They heckled back. “We’re gonna crush the maize and blue!” yelled a brave OSU fan. His remark got the Buckeyes faithful going.

“Michigan’s gonna get beat up in their own house today!” screamed another OSU fan on another flight from another city.

But as these fired-up passengers continued walking the terminal, proudly sporting their school colors, they were quickly reminded that they were in enemy territory. Though only 162 air miles from home, this clearly was Wolverines country.

Many airport merchants had maize and blue “M” decals on their windows. Michigan Wolverines merchandise was everywhere: T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, knit hats, earrings, stuffed animals, books, calendars and posters. You name it, they had it for sale.

Airport bars and restaurants were completely packed with customers. Ohio State fans were outnumbered by at least ten to one. Each time they bragged on their Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverines fans countered. Only louder. Much louder.

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