Jared.

There's been plenty of talk lately from rival fan bases dismissing Indiana's football success as too recent and its support as too shallow. I'm approaching 20 consecutive years as a football season-ticket holder, not counting my years as a student. I've seen plenty of lean seasons, sparse crowds, and disappointing Saturdays. So I couldn't be happier to see Memorial Stadium packed. But those critics miss something important about Indiana. Few universities can match IU's athletic tradition. Five national championships in men's basketball, eight in men's soccer, and a swimming and diving dynasty that won six straight national titles speak for themselves. And the passion for Indiana basketball rivals the devotion of any fan base in any sport. That love stretches back more than a century, passed from one generation to the next. The point is that Hoosier loyalty has never been confined to one sport. It's an allegiance to the university, its history, and everything it represents. That kind of loyalty doesn't need to be invented when a football team starts winning. It simply finds another place to flourish. Indiana's football success may be new, but Hoosier pride is anything but. And after all those years of waiting, it's a joy to share it with a full stadium. #iufb