(Flickr/Chiceaux)

College football has broken a lot of hearts this offseason. Ohio State, Oregon, Boise State, Miami and now LSU fans have endured a round shellacking in the public eye because of the idiotic decisions of players, coaches and boosters. As an LSU fan, I’m deeply disappointed in our players and coaches. We’re all reeling over this stupid bar brawl that has likely ended a promising season before it began.

When people ask me about what sports I follow, I always say that I am a college football fan, and specifically an LSU fan above all else. The NFL is undoubtedly the pinnacle of football skill and execution, but, to me, the tradition, pageantry, allegiances and the raw emotion in the college game far surpass anything the pros can offer. The college game gives us hundred-year-old rivalries, miracle upsets and “Rudy” stories that cannot exist in the NFL.

College football matters so much to so many. I grew up in Alabama, where children learn to be an Auburn or Alabama fan before they fully develop consciousness. My nephew, Josiah, has an Auburn-themed nursery. He “watched” every Auburn game as an infant last year, and my brother dutifully recorded the scores of the team’s miraculous undefeated season on a souvenir poster in blue Sharpie for Josiah to keep into adulthood. This child knew to bounce in time to”War Eagle” before he could crawl.

I came to LSU later in my life, but when I walked on to the campus for a visit in my junior year of high school, I couldn’t imagine going to college anywhere else. I got a great education there. I was in the Honors College, where I read great books and grew fascinated with history and the classics. My journalism professors pushed me to tell stories well across different media and to examine my role in the community. I marched in the band, and just thinking about playing pregame to a packed Tiger Stadium still gives me chills. I wrote for The Reveille, the campus paper, at a time when a serial killer preyed on our classmates. I made my closest friends at LSU. I fell in love for the first time, and I came out of the closet. I became an adult beneath those oaks and arches.

College football allegiances are ingrained deeply, and that’s what gives the game the power to break hearts deeply. College is also transitory. It’s a launchpad for caree, and a place for young people to work hard and grow into productive adults. Often that means making mistakes, sometimes significant ones. We don’t want to believe that people could be so careless with our school’s name and reputation, but it’s understandable that a 20-year-old would be negligent. The real heartbreak stems from the boosters and coaches, who should be looking out for the best interests of the athletes and the school. It’s disheartening to know that all these broken hearts stem from adults who