Did you come back for more ranting? I’m so glad. Let’s get started.

Now, because at heart I want to be kind and fair, I will say this up front: I met a lot of nice fans from the other team. I met people who were warm and funny, and very gracious after the Horned Frogs handily managed a line that had 100 lbs. (each) on the TCU team. Ahem.

According to my friend, Brent Musburger, whom I sat across from* on the plane, bowl games love these other fans because they travel everywhere and really support their team. I would have to agree, from what I witnessed, that those other fans come out in force.

But I disagree with some of their methods.

As Horned Frog-gear-clad fans, we were taunted for being from Texas. It would seem that we all ride horses, live on farms, and are really hung up on The Battle of the Alamo.

We were yelled at – “Just go home, losers!”

We were laughed at – “Look at what they’re wearing!” (This from people dressed in the craziest striped overalls I have ever seen outside of a circus. Oh, and there was one guy dressed in helmet, jersey and cleats. And this guy? Definitely not on the team.)

What’s my issue, you may ask? Just sounds like some fired up fans?

My issue, is just that. We’re fans. Not players. Fans. We were all there to see a game, to support our alma mater (or as we discovered with many of the other school’s fans, not an alma mater, but just a school they’re fond of).

Why would anyone feel compelled to say rude, nonsensical things to fans? Whether a team wins or loses has very little to do with where the fans live and what they wear. Whether a team wins or loses has quite a bit more to do with those guys in the helmets and pads, and the other guys equipped with headsets and clipboards, down on the field.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think players should get into it on the field, either. But at least in that case I understand. I know that tensions run high and those players have a lot invested. If a little verbal sparing match occurs, I may not love it, but I get it.

One other sportsmanship issue that really got me: during a key moment in the game, a moment that admittedly was all about TCU, several sections of the stadium filled with fans from the other team started shouting, “F*&# You!”

Are you kidding me? Thousands of people, en mass, screamed an obscenity at another team, whose only offense was playing a good game?

(By the way, I know for sure they were saying “F— You!”, because some unfortunate friends of mine were the only two purple-clad people in a sea of red. They heard the chant from real close by.)

I could go on and on about sportsmanship. It’s something parents of small children think about a lot, as we try to teach our kids to be gracious winners and gracious losers. Maybe I’ll continue my rant another day, but for now I’ll wrap up our discussion of sportsmanship with this: I have a hard time accepting that there are people – a lot of people if my Rose Bowl experience is any indication – who have lost sight of a fan’s purpose.

Fans exist to cheer on their team, and in some cases support teams financially. A fan is not there to be rude and ugly to other fans.

So. As this is getting too long, once again, let’s get to that whole airplane annoyance issue I mentioned on Wednesday…

I am probably romanticizing something I know nothing about, but in my imagination air travel was once gentrified. Now that I think about it, when I was young air travel was much more civilized than it is now, so perhaps I’m not over-romanticizing anything.

People used to dress up for flights and treat others with courtesy. And now, it’s like a goat rodeo in the skies. It’s every passenger for herself these days. (Although I do need to say that SWA employees on my last few flights have been a dream – kind, funny, and professional. More on that in my footnote.)

I suppose the good news is that I am unable to kill with my mind. If I could, people might be dropping like flies all around me.

The bad news is that I could not harm the woman seated behind me on the plane.

This woman – this adult – took off her shoes and put her big, grown person feet on my seat, pushing against it in order to prop up her feet and read her book.

Had she been a small child kicking my seat, I wouldn’t have been bothered. Not very bothered, anyway. I certainly would not have harbored unkind thoughts toward the kid or her parents.

As she was a grown, married woman (at least I assume the man she was with was her husband – my expert sleuthing skills detected rings, and some physical contact that would be inappropriate for non-married family members), I couldn’t believe that it didn’t occur to her that I might feel her pushing against my seat, making a metal bar (or something) press into my back.

That chick is lucky she walked off the plane, instead of hobbling off. If I’d had time to brush up on my Jedi mind tricks, she’d be hurting. That is all.

I wonder…

:: Do you think I’m overreacting and should cut these fans some slack? Should we chalk it all up to big excitement over a big game?

:: Is sportsmanship a quality you try to impress upon your children? How do you teach it?

:: Am I being childish about the airplane thing? Should I not expect people to act civilized in the air (or elsewhere for that matter)?

Footnotes…

*How’s that for some name-dropping? And no, I was not in first class (darn). I was on a Southwest Airlines** flight, connecting through Las Vegas, because that was the most affordable way to get from Austin to Los Angeles. Turns out, Mr. Musburger flies SWA all the time because, “they get me there on time. These guys are the only way to go.” And yes, I sat across from a world-class sportscaster and talked air travel. In my defense, we talked football, too. Mr. Musburger is warm and personable, and I was glad to have met him.

**Nope, not a paid endorsement at all. I just thought you’d like to know that SWA has come a long way and I now consider them one of the best ways to travel.

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Sorry. I know this is crazy long again today, but I have to toot my own horn before I let you go. I woke up today to discover that I’m the recipient of a Chicago Dog Award! The lovely Liz from A Belle, A Bean and A Chicago Dog hands out these coveted awards, and I’m honored to be included. Go check out her site to meet the other winners.