By this point you know what happened in Charlottesville Saturday, whether you were here at the game, home for Thanksgiving or living under a rock. Virginia lost 33-21 to Virginia Tech on a day when the Hokies simply outplayed the Cavaliers. But I don't want to talk about the football. I want to talk about the presentations and festivities that occurred before kickoff and during halftime, and why I think they may have taken the home crowd out of the game. It almost didn't even feel like a home game at all.
There were some nice gestures during the pre-game activities on behalf of the Cavaliers. The national anthem was played by soloist Michael Phillips on saxophone, which was a nice change of pace from the norm. He also played "Amazing Grace" after a moment of silence to remember the shooting victims of the tragedy in Blacksburg. A flag was rolled out displaying the Virginia and Virginia Tech logos on an outline of the Commonwealth, and the field goal net was replaced with a banner that read "Virginia pride" and again displayed both logos together. The pre-game ceremonies were topped off by a two-plane flyover, which is always awesome.
These gestures on behalf of the Cavalier family were appropriate for a football game played between these two rivals. Virginia showed its support for Virginia Tech, but the displays of unity needn't have carried over to the football game. After these ceremonies, all attention should have been focused on the game that decided which team would go to the ACC Championship. Virginia fans should have been able to start giving their Cavaliers a real home field advantage. This was not the case, however.
A number of regularly exciting pre-game activities were toned down to an extreme lull. The epitome of this would be the Adventures of CavMan -- also known as the reason why the entire Scott Stadium student section is packed by 11:56 a.m. as fans search for seats that give them a good view of HooVision.
In case you missed the video, the Hokie Bird was beamed down into the dungeon like every other opponent, CavMan jumped down like he always does, and then ... the two shook hands/feathers, and the message appeared, "Let's decide this one on the field."
Uh ... what?
What happened in Blacksburg is obviously still on everyone's minds, and rightfully so; it was a severe tragedy that nobody could possibly forget. We were all affected in some way, whether we are Hokies, Cavaliers or neither. And for that reason, I understand why HooVision wouldn't show CavMan killing HokieBird as he would vanquish any other opposing mascot. But I think its safe to say very few people were satisfied that this video ended with a handshake.
At this point, all things including the Hokies in Cavalier business should have ceased. The game is a rivalry game. It is played for the Commonwealth Cup. And, did I mention that the game decided who would compete in the ACC Championship?
But, things continued to go downhill after the Adventures of CavMan, which earned a chorus of boos from the crowd. CavMan and Sabre were already on the field, rather than dashing out of the tunnel. The team just walked out on the field instead of sprinting out to echoing cheers. There just seemed to be a lack of energy and excitement in Scott Stadium, which isn't how it should be for the biggest game in Charlottesville in many years. It was as if the game wasn't even in Charlottesville.
Later on, Virginia could have used a boost at halftime. But again, the ceremonies failed to provide a spark. It was nice to see Tiki Barber's jersey retired, and it is always a welcome moment to pay tribute to former Cavalier greats. But honoring a former Hokie? Unacceptable. There was no good reason we had to see Bruce Smith being honored at midfield. That had nothing to do with Virginia paying respects to those who were affected by the tragedy at Virginia Tech. Asking Cavalier fans to applaud Smith in the name of "Virginia pride" takes a shot at our school pride.
A fellow Cav Daily sports writer worried about football trumping respect during this rivalry game. I don't want to say I believe the opposite happened, because having respect for one's opponent is always bigger than the game. But what I do believe is that football was buried beneath too many layers of "Virginia pride" fluff. The energy usually cooked up in pre-game events wasn't there, and halftime became as much about the Hokies as the Cavaliers, with their band being on our field and Bruce Smith being honored at our school. The lack of excitement took the crowd out of the game. It might even have affected the outcome -- home field advantage matters. Just look at what happens in Lane Stadium on gamedays.
In closing, it wasn't really a home game for the Cavaliers. Considering all the ceremonies, maroon-clad Hokie fans in attendance and their keys jingling on third downs it was as if the game wasn't being played on our home turf. There is a line that needs to be drawn to protect the importance of the football atmosphere. The University continues its efforts to support Tech, Cavalier fans rallied around their Hokie neighbors, and just as we did back in April, we still remember those whose lives were tragically taken. But by including Virginia Tech in so many gameday festivities in Charlottesville, it was as if the University willingly sacrificed its own identity -- and possibly the outcome of the game -- in a way that was not wholly necessary.
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