The Thrill Of Victory--The Agony Of Defeat...In Ties

We all give off signals. Some purposely, some not, but because we are social animals and use verbal and non-verbal communication to survive, we're constantly giving off signals.

Even with neckties.

In the space of one week I went from elated to deflated, all because of two football games. On November 20th, my beloved Utah Utes beat USC in California. A great win by any metric. Seven days later, Utah was destroyed by Oregon. I'm not bitter--Oregon is one of the best teams in the nation and if you can't match them, the better team wins. I did not watch the game, but I'm sure (based on decades of watching Coach Whittingham do his job...) Utah played with heart and determination. There's no shame in doing your best and getting beat.

On November 21st, I wore my Utah football tie to church.

A week later, I wore all black.

I was in mourning.

I don't think anyone noticed. I moved from an area where there were many Utah fans to an area where Utah State is the predominant school--lots of Aggie fans. Heck, I'm an Aggies fan. I always wish them well, unless they're playing Utah. When I wore my Utah football tie where we used to live, I received several comments, both from Utah fans and fans of other schools. This time--nada. No one said anything. Nor did they say anything yesterday when I donned the color of despair (Les Miserable reference...).

I'd like to wear the Utah tie more often. If I wore it every time the Utah Utes football team won, I'd wear it more than any other tie time during the season, such is a testament to their success. Here's to me having the option for many years to come.