We Are LSU (What Duck Fans Need To Know)

With all the negativity and rumors flying around this board recently, I thought it would be a good idea to rally the troops behind our team. This is a piece I wrote in 2008 for the CWS that spoke out about what LSU means to me. I thought it would be a great time to share it again. Geaux Tigers!





I was born in Texas. I was raised in Texas. I wanted to go to Texas. I ended up in Louisiana.

Sounds horrible doesn't it? I thought the exact same thing... until I realized what LSU stood for.

While many people find it funny to crack jokes about the shite-hole that is known as Louisiana, people that live here would immediately disagree, and rightfully so. Being from Texas, I didn't know a lot about Louisiana. I knew that Katrina destroyed New Orleans, and that supposedly the Government didn't care. The city was run-over with low income family's, welfare moochers, and criminals, and for all that was good, we rid the city of those who were destroying it.

Boy was I wrong.

Louisiana is in despair. New Orleans is picking up speed but the destruction caused by Katrina is still evident. On your college essay's it always asks you to write "What challenge have you had to deal with and how did you overcome it?. a question so many of my classmates now at School in Austin or college station filled space, stating their communication problems with their superiors. Not my new classmates. I met people who lost everything. A girl who came home to find her cat drowned hanging out of an air-vent. People who lost their homes, their Grandparents ashes, family photo's from past generations. People who lived in FEMA trailers, and people who moved to Houston for months until New Orleans drained. As an outsider, you ask "why would you want to live in a place like that?", but once you are on the inside you understand. New Orleans is a beautiful city, and for those of you who have never been on LSU's campus, you are missing one of the most breathtaking pieces of land this side of the Mississippi. The culture is something that makes Louisiana the most unique state in this country. People are friendly, and its genuine. Walk around the tailgates at a LSU football game wearing a visitors jersey. I promise you will walk to the stadium with a stomach full of exquisite cuisine, a beer in your hand, and another in your pocket to watch the band run down the hill, all which came at no expense to you.

The people of Louisiana are in a constant struggle. The Government never came to help, but the same hands going through the ticket office booth in Omaha were the same hands that refuse to let the state fall by the wayside. Louisianan’s don't have a lot to look to in times of crisis, as a matter of fact, there is really only one shining beacon. LSU.

Read articles about Katrina from a New Orleans newspaper. I can't count the number of times you will hear "We lost everything. The only things I was able to save were my LSU season tickets and 3 or 4 purple and gold shirts.". Those are the stories you don't hear in other states. LSU unites the entire state and is an icon for all those in times of trouble. When things go wrong, every person in the state reverts back to the Football team, the baseball team, a place where everything that is going on in their lives can be put on hold for a weekend. Our fans are proud of their state, their school, and their sports. Despite accusations of being hostile assholes, you will find more genuine people trying to dodge the everyday stresses of life then anything else. They are there to support the only thing that supports them. I love LSU, I love Louisiana. I never thought I would say it, but now that I have I understand why there is such a disparity among Louisianan’s and our neighboring states. We don't care what’s bigger, what’s better. Our football team is not run by a corporate giant that dresses us like dolls. Our school is a beacon of what tradition was meant to be, not a banner on a stadium. We love to drink and we love to yell. You might be loud, but I promise… we are louder. We don't care if our Government is screwed up and yours works like a clock. We are all one family held together with purple and gold glue, just trying to have a good time and forget all the negative things that have affected our lives and our state.

LSU is Louisiana. And united together, Louisiana is LSU. See you in Dallas.