As the homecoming crowd of 1,749 began to filter out of Harbin Field, the question of the day began to fly around Lot T: “Who won?”
In what was an unusually hot afternoon in mid-September, the Georgetown Hoyas football team continued its streak of wins on Homecoming weekend. Still, the general atmosphere at the game was different than in years past due in part to the field change: Instead of being isolated up on Kehoe Field, the football team battled Fairfield on Harbin Field in the heart of campus. This change allowed some students the luxury of remaining in the parking lot while watching the game from atop their cars. Even with the increased ease of watching the game, the general atmosphere in the parking lot was centered on two things: drinking and socializing.
The football game itself was very quiet for the first three quarters. The crowd made some noise during the Georgetown fight song, but other than that the fans in attendance were sitting on their hands. The parking lot was quite the opposite. The combination of music blasting, people shouting and beer cans popping presented quite a lively scene. As students celebrated flip cup and Beirut victories in the parking lot, alumni sat in the stands waiting for Georgetown’s first touchdown. Groups of students walked over to Harbin Field, but tended to stay only a few minutes, almost as if to make themselves feel better because they technically attended the game. As one herd left Harbin, another entered, but the place to be for the majority of Georgetown students was clearly Lot T.
The day wore on and students began to feel the affects of early morning drinking: People’s faces began to turn red, literally. While everyone had been preparing for this day for weeks, few remembered their sun block, which increased the natural redness that occurs from sipping on too much Natty Ice. Right around the time noses were turning pink and students were leaving for their mid-afternoon naps or aimlessly wandering in a drunken stupor, the game on Harbin field turned lively. With Georgetown leading 7-3, sophomore tailback John Sims busted loose for a 21-yard touchdown run, his second score of the day. Less than a minute later, sophomore defensive back Tim Banks sealed the deal with a 49-yard interception return for a touchdown. Final score: Georgetown 21, Fairfield 3
The parking lot scene is representative of the student apathy toward Georgetown football. It’s like any other concert or sporting tailgate, minus one thing: People don’t leave the lot! As the Hoyas defense was busy plugging the run lanes, students in Lot T were busy plugging numbers into their cell phones. As fans in the bleachers of Harbin Field were thinking, “We need a TD,” students in the lot were thinking, “Damn, do I gotta pee.” At the same time, I hope I wasn’t the only one thinking, “Is this the way it should be?” Regardless, it’s something that the football team and the student body have become accustomed to, and hopefully one day it will change. Whether you chose to watch the game or tailgate all day in the lot, Saturday afternoon was a great day for all in attendance. Hoya Saxa, I guess.
