What Happened to...

I'm sure most of you are aware of the results of last night's Sugar Bowl.  Now I playfully pick on the teams that made it there.  I'm still a believer that Boise State and Kansas State should have been in that game before Michigan and Virginia Tech based on season results. I'd throw Arkansas in the mix, but that whole 2 teams per conference in BCS bowl games messes that up.  However, those facts don't take away from the fact that the game was absolutely fantastic to watch.  Two teams did everything they could to stay ahead of their opponent. The game went back and forth.  Players gave their hearts.  There was a pretty controversial play in overtime.  It's pretty clear that either way was going to cause controversy.  I truly believe that the referees and replay officials weren't going to be right to everyone in that situation.  However, that wasn't the troubling thing.  The troubling thing was all the posts, comments, and thoughts broadcast on my facebook page.  Some of these posts were very troubling because there was blame shifting, accusations of referee payoffs, and belief that there is a bias against a college.  To actually think that an entire institution like the NCAA would be so against your school that they would cost you a game on purpose, it's not asinine, it's not asi-ten, it's not asi-eleven, it's asi-twelve (thank you Stephen A. Smith).  To think that a school would have the gall to pay off a set of referees to cost you something; risking career, livelihood, family, and possibly freedom?  Come on, man.  Look, I understand that being a fan means sometimes having an emotional attachment to a team, but to act like a 4 year old and throw tantrums on the Internet because things didn't go your way makes sports so unwatchable to some people.  I love sports and sometimes I do become emotionally invested, but I never get to a point where I believe in fixes and rigging of games.  If your favorite team loses, it's because the other team scored more points.  You look at the things you did wrong and reduce them for next year.  You look at the things you did right and do that more.  I'm sure I'm offending a lot of people, but I don't care.  You all offended me with your pettiness. You annoyed me with how you took a bunch of 18-22 year old men, deified them, and then put all this undue pressure on them to win a football game that pretty much NONE of you have any stake in outside of bragging rights.  Unless of course you put money on them, then you're an idiot.  You put hard earned money on people who think that the Jersey Shore is a philosophical masterpiece.  Point being, just enjoy the game.  Be sad if they lose, but don't blame the referees, the replay booth, or any other entity.  The coach of your favorite team wouldn't do it, won't let his players do it, and would rather his fans not do it either.