University of Utah Campus Store busy with fans for first game
Aug 29, 2024, 4:38 PM | Updated: 7:02 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — Maybe it’s not so much about getting the latest hat. Or jersey. Or any other new Utes gear at the campus store that makes a lot of people happy for the new season.
Maybe the reason why we love that college football is back is because it brings us together.
“I remember telling my colleagues when I was leaving yesterday that I am so excited to see my family,” Sherly Keating, an avid Utah Utes fan, said.
Keating, who lives in South Jordan, took Thursday off of work.
“These people that you come and tailgate with, you consider them family, even though you only see them during football season,” she said.
With so much division these days, where people are seemingly arguing about every little thing, the football stadium may be one of the few places where a Republican and Democrat, or any other side of any other issue, might hug each other in joy when their team scores a touchdown.
“Absolutely. We call it a family,” Travis Drown, who lives in Salt Lake City, said.
Family sure is an important word in Utah.
And getting the latest gear, as if everyone at Rice-Eccles was taking one big family picture, is one way to come together.
“I bought this shirt yesterday and liked it so much, I came back today to buy another one,” Drown said with a laugh. “I love football season. It is like Christmas again. Christmas in August.”
Game Day is a special day for college football fans, when the worries of the world can just melt away for a few hours.
And when we can cheer together, no matter what our backgrounds are.
“Yeah, it is awesome,” Keating said. “There is nothing like it.”
