When Munson said ‘we,’ that included UGA fans
I received an interesting note from a reader in Marietta named Rob who posed a question about college football fandom that I’ve heard debated before.
“I’m going out on a limb here,” Rob says, “but I would guess that at least 91 percent of football fans never played one down of college or pro pigskin. … [But] as fans, we are all very passionate about the team(s) we support. Just listening to the Redcoat Marching Band play their warm-ups gives me goose bumps and makes me wish I had the talent, discipline and work ethic to wear a true Georgia ‘G’ on my chest. When I talk to other Dawg fans, all of us use the term ‘we’ when speaking about UGA. But in reality, we, the fans, are looking at things from an outside perspective. Are we wrong to say ‘we’? I say no, but I’d appreciate your opinion.”
OK, here goes: A university is a community, and that community includes alumni and supporters. Anyone who cares enough to support the school and its athletic programs and wear its colors is part of the community, no matter whether they’ve ever played a sport for that school, are currently enrolled as a student there, donate money or just cheer for the teams. It doesn’t even matter where you live; thus the concept of the borderless “Bulldog Nation.”
My Dad never went to UGA. But he grew up going to games whenever he could and listening to Marcus Bartlett call the Dogs’ games on the radio. He took his sons to Georgia games when we were growing up and paid for us to attend the university. He was a season ticket holder for years, a member of the Touchdown Club of Athens and to this day still wears a UGA cap. There’s no doubting my Dad is a Georgia Bulldog, just like his sons. And all of us say “we” when talking about the Dogs.
Loading ...And if it’s good enough for Munson …
So, yes, Rob, I think it’s perfectly acceptable for fans of UGA teams to say “we” when referring to the Dogs.
I’ll throw this out to the readership, though. What do you think? Feel free to comment, vote in the poll or do both. Oh, and go Dogs!
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72 comments Add your comment
Saint Simons
August 5th, 2009
7:02 am
((((( 45 42 ))))) hahahahahaha
who is asher allen?
August 5th, 2009
7:05 am
There fans of any team that do this. Who cares?
who is asher allen?
August 5th, 2009
7:06 am
There are
Dawg Roberson
August 5th, 2009
7:16 am
Roddy White just scored again!!
Gbal
August 5th, 2009
7:20 am
Think i will hit the snooze button. Rob does not have very much to think or worry about.
Nachos
August 5th, 2009
7:21 am
Looks like your running out of material Mr. King. Remember.. pace yourself!
41-30
athensdawg
August 5th, 2009
7:22 am
so glad i woke up early to read this. “We” need to come up with some better articles.
UGASlobberknocker
August 5th, 2009
8:00 am
I like men
SomewhereinGA
August 5th, 2009
8:03 am
Somehow I get the feeling that Saint Simons will still be greeting us seven years from now, as we are going for 8 in a row, with his (his right?) same schoolboy or schoolgirl smack.
dawgstephen
August 5th, 2009
8:04 am
Munson said “We” and “Them” and “THEY” and “US” so many times he is the reason that I say it that way. I miss him. Scott and Eric are wonderful and I am very happy with them being on the broadcast. I miss Larry in his hayday.
http://www.dawgstephen.blogspot.com
gimmie a break
August 5th, 2009
8:23 am
Munson used “we” and “them” and “they” simply because he was too lazy to prepare or research for a game, and this was the easy way out. Personally, I’m glad he’s gone…he was a bore and should have retired a long time ago.
LC
August 5th, 2009
8:24 am
My three year old is about to do her own blog here….sdfgtzaswerqwtyu
eggdgtwklopzxcfgdsawqzxcdcvttfrbnjklofggvcdsxzscxzweqertyftyffrrefad,,,,
Whattaya think guys? Does she get a job at the AJC??
Larry Munson
August 5th, 2009
8:27 am
they’re running through us like were a vandy or a wake forest!
CLTDawg
August 5th, 2009
8:29 am
Usually I enjoy reading the articles, but this is about a year late and a dollar short. SI.com writer Stewart Mandel discussed this last year and decided non-players should not say “we”. He quickly changed his mind when someone suggested to him to have them change the name of the movie to “They Are Marshall”. He quickly decided we is OK.
David
August 5th, 2009
8:31 am
you guys are ruthless to blog writers…you think they have to write some masterpiece..and then you would bash that to the ground…I use “we” all the time when cheering for my teams across the board. It wasn’t because of munson it was because I get so engulfed with whats going on with the team during training etc etc that I feel im slightly part of the team. Thats what I love about sports. On that note, War Eagle and everyone have a great day!
JDW
August 5th, 2009
8:33 am
Saint Simons first off I did not think Nerds were allowed on the island but thought I would give you some stats to chew on…how about overall record of 59-39-5? Or even better in the last 20 years 16-4. How does 51-7 strike you or maybe 38-12 the series record for the last 50 years. Maybe 16-1 makes you feel better. That is the number of 10 win seasons by each team in the last 50 years.
god and greyhound
August 5th, 2009
8:38 am
Hey JDW… 45-42!!!!!glad it STILL hurts so much
The Grinch
August 5th, 2009
8:39 am
To who is asher allen?
Your first two posts were brilliant, I tell you, brilliant. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Utah fans LOVE Nachos
August 5th, 2009
8:41 am
21-0 at the end of the first quarter?? The #1 team in the country at the end of the regular season was down 21-0 at the end of the first quarter??
The Grinch
August 5th, 2009
8:42 am
To god and greyhound
When did you decide to change your name from m? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
UGAGRAD02
August 5th, 2009
8:42 am
Great article. Looking forward to being in Athens this fall.
We, Yall, and them
August 5th, 2009
8:42 am
We are the Nerds. Yall are the Terds. And Them are everyone else.
Hey Dawg Roberson...
August 5th, 2009
8:44 am
…glad you are such a Falcons fan – but as a GT fan you are basically clueless – it was Roddy JONES who just scored again!
NewDogDad
August 5th, 2009
8:48 am
Ouch! Give Bill a break. The blawg wasn’t that bad. And hey “gimmie a break” pick on Bill all you want, but if you couldn’t appreciate the art in Munson’s play by play, you must be ignorant and deaf.
CW
August 5th, 2009
8:50 am
Gimmie a break – your a jacka$$. Nobody goes into a broadcast hall of fame because they sucked or were boring. You’re just mad because when he used “they” he was referring to your team getting their butt kicked. You’re a loser
YoungDawg
August 5th, 2009
8:53 am
YES! If you’re faculty, student, alumni, coach, player, fan or support the school in ANY way then it’s acceptable to say “WE”. Because WE are all apart of the Bulldog nation! The WE’s for each SEC school are one of the main reasons that the conference is able to make the big $ deals. While many didn’t go to or work for the school they support it financially & otherwise in many ways. If you limit “we” then you’re cutting out many who empower the schools & there athletic departments to be what that they are. The best football conference going today! GO DAWGS!
falcon4life
August 5th, 2009
9:02 am
and you still stink…..btw 30 years and still haven’t won anything. SHUT UP!
Britt
August 5th, 2009
9:03 am
gimme a break, just thought you should know that Larry won the Furman Bisher Award last year for Sports Media Excellence. He is also to be inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame. He has been broadcasting Georgia football before you were even born and is widely known even outside of this state, as one of the best college football broadcasters ever. To ridicule his work ethics is outright laughable.
dawgfanatic24-7
August 5th, 2009
9:06 am
Fans who aren’t alumni but stick by any team in a good or bad year deserve to say “we”. However those who jump on the bandwagon after a successful year but are quick to complain and say the team sucks doesn’t deserve to say “we”.
Brad
August 5th, 2009
9:07 am
Hey Tech fans. Check out the article about tickets sales in the AJC today. Wow 26,000 season ticket holders. Maybe you can do a raffle on 95.5 the beat and V103 to get some tickets sold in the ATL!!! Or maybe get the dumba_s Stew brothers to help with their people to help on 790.
Dean
August 5th, 2009
9:09 am
YoungDawg got it right. I have an acceptance letter from UGA but did not attend. (Life throws devastating curveballs at you.) I’m a Dawg thru and thru even though I attended more Tech games when I was young and dumb.
J Dub
August 5th, 2009
9:09 am
Roddy White?
JDW
August 5th, 2009
9:12 am
Well Greyhound it does hurt to lose. I am sure glad you do it so much more than us.
GTerrorist
August 5th, 2009
9:14 am
1 win out of the last 8 isn’t too bad. Can I have another tickle pile with Keith Brooking?
Paul H
August 5th, 2009
9:18 am
I loved hearing Munson say “we” and “they.” It added to the passion and inclusiveness. I loved the us against them mentality. Kind of like how we dominate Tech 80% of every decade. Awesome.
Toot of the Whistle
August 5th, 2009
9:22 am
Ridicklist!!
The Truth
August 5th, 2009
9:23 am
Enough already!!! Does every blog on here have to turn into juvenile, personal attacks against each other. Between hahahah and how many fans are in the stands to how many season tickets sold, it has just become so boring and stupid….you guys need to move out of your Mom’s basement and get a real job.
Now, even being a Tech fan, I kind of appreciate this blog today. I was in broadcasting in the 70s and 80s and I remember growing up with the great voices of the South. Al Ciraldo, Cawood Ledford, Larry Munson, John Ward and the rest were a part of the fabric of the school much less the community. Now sadly, they are all but gone. It was a great time to be a college fan and even though we could ‘hate’ Larry for that 3 hours, you loved him afterwards because it was a unique style that was special to us in the South…..yeah, those days may be gone but it was great to have that face and voice behind you whether you won or lost.
Kimmer
August 5th, 2009
9:29 am
It is perfectly acceptable for fans to refer to their team a “we” and even “they” for their opponents. I don’t think it is a good idea for a broadcaster to do so even if he is doing so for the team’s network because it is very unprofessional and provincial to do so. Munson managed to make it work for him in his day but that day is over.
UGAGRAD02
August 5th, 2009
9:30 am
I agree with you “the truth”.
gimmie a break
August 5th, 2009
9:30 am
Haha…any broadcasting awards for Munson were just charity work for an old man. Munson faked it for years, didn’t know the names of players, didn’t know the plays…constantly using “we” and “they” and “us” were clear examples of his ineptitude. His obvious philosopy was just show up and keep blabbering. Furman Bisher Award for Sports Excellence, what a joke. He’s another Georgia loser. P.S. Don’t respond if you can’t spell.
robodawg
August 5th, 2009
9:37 am
Friends of mine who aren’t committed Dawg fans always find it amusing that I use “we” — for example, “So, the Georgia Bulldogs, you think THEY will be good this year?” “WE’ve got potential.” I take being part of such a community for granted.
Pago Flyer
August 5th, 2009
9:40 am
I still get goose bumps performing in the Redcoat Alumni Band…and the SW corner of Sandford Stadium guy doing his thing….WOW…
old fart
August 5th, 2009
9:42 am
a very slooooooooooooooooooooooow news day
Mike Dawg
August 5th, 2009
9:44 am
Let’s all thank God we have Coach Richt. Check out what Kiffin has pulled out of his hat here…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAZqJ-L-OZU
What an embarrassment to UT.
Nachos
August 5th, 2009
9:49 am
Hey “Utah fans LOVE Nachos” …………41-30
Ouch it stings dont it ? Get over it.
fear the blackout
Saint Augustine
August 5th, 2009
9:51 am
((( 49 10 ))) hahaha
BS Patrol
August 5th, 2009
9:51 am
Anyone who ever watched a doggie game & listened to Munson on radio knows he didn’t know what he was talking about. My favorite was the use of “the other guy”. Larry couldn’t even remember what teams were playing.
Teresa
August 5th, 2009
9:55 am
I’m a die-hard Georgia Bulldog because I went there as an undergraduate and as a graduate student, my dad taught there, and I grew up in Athens rooting for the Dawgs. I think I’m “entitled” to say “we.” My husband, however, a Florida Gator fan (yes, I know…), lived part of his childhood in south Florida, but mostly grew up in Pennsylvania, never has even been to Gainesville, and now will be a graduate student at UGA. (Incidentally, he just bought a Georgia Bulldog door mat so that he can wipe his feet on the Dawgs.) Unlike me and my claiming of “being” a Georgia Bulldog, I don’t think he can claim the “we” as a Florida Gator “community” member.
Nachos
August 5th, 2009
9:56 am
hey david – does Allbarn have a tough time practicing in that cow pasture? i hear the “chizzz” stepped in some cow dung yesterday and had a hissy fit.
wawwwwwwwwwww weagle! 2-9 in 2009
Heavy Dawg
August 5th, 2009
10:12 am
I am not an alumni, cause my mama and daddy didn’t have the money for me to go to college. But I work hard and I sit down with my cheering shoes every Saturday to watch MY Dawgs. If you love something as much as I love MY Dawgs , than you can say we if you want cause you a part of the team.
I hurt when we loose. I celebrate when we wine. Every Dawg fan knows we are one. Weather or not we went to school there don’t matter one bit.
And all you Tech people just go mind your own business. You one one time. Big deal