Adam McLane

SDSU: I believe that we will win

This is more fun in person.

As a good friend and SDSU alumni is quick to tell me, I joined the Aztecs fan-dome at just the right moment in history. It’s been amazing to see this school go from identifying itself as a party school to a campus full of pride for its athletics. (Baseball, football, and now basketball.)

Not many people outside of Southern California have noticed this transformation. But it is exhilarating.

When we moved into the college area almost three years ago I decided I would embrace the school… because it’s part of my neighborhood and some of our neighbors are students. Yet, as a person who grew up around a major university, I was shocked by how little people cared about SDSU. You’d rarely see non-students wearing SDSU gear, people didn’t care about the sports, and even the school itself was kind of a third or fourth choice place. Non-student neighbors didn’t take much pride in being in the college area. And, unlike in South Bend, there wasn’t a soul who had the school’s logo painted on their garage door or a school flag hanging from their flag pole.

Not anymore.

Yesterday was marked by three major things in the life of SDSU.

First, they welcomed 4100 brand new freshmen on campus. They had record applications.

Second, I rode the train home from work with a trolley car full of fans headed to the game…. this is two full hours before tip off! This is something you only see with the Charger or maybe the Padres if the Angels are in town.

Third, the national media has no choice but to pay attention. They were the first team to 20 wins and hold the longest win streak in the NCAA.

As I walked around the Viejas Arena last night before finding my seats I did an extra loop around the stadium because the buzz was palpable. Everyone was wearing SDSU gear, walking through campus I saw tons of visitors carrying bookstore bags… and I mumbled to myself, “This is what jumping on the bandwagon feels like.“

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Adam McLane

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One response to “SDSU: I believe that we will win”

  1. Peter Marin Avatar
    Peter Marin

    Adam wrote about the transformation of SDSU
    Aztecs. Why did the national media cover these
    changes? Becasue the Aztecs were winning, and
    winning big. The attraction is part of watching
    how the underdog/unknown group becomes a
    winner.

    Sending a child away to college/university is
    filled with hope that they will find success in
    their education, friendships and life’s pursuits.
    When there are limited funds, it’s a time of
    loans, debts and financial difficulties.

    I work in a large high school and have seen
    how parents deal with their children’s endeavours.
    I have listened to parents calling the attendance
    school line and heard their concerns about their
    struggles for late arrival, early dismissal or just
    out all day. We have had a record number of
    parents this year now asking how to apply for
    the reduced fee lunch program. Sometimes, our
    parents come to this place filled with some form
    of embarrassment, guilt and shame as they
    never thought it could come to this.

    Luke 15:13 NLT
    “A few days later this younger son packed all
    his belongings and took a trip to a distant land,
    and there he wasted all his money on wild living.

    Yesterday two brothers with two others were all
    caught at school doing drugs. When our Dean of
    Students called the parents, they said they could
    not get to the school to pick them up. So, my boss
    got the school shuttle mini-van and drove them
    home before eleven o’clock.

    The day before we had a student throw-up right
    in our office near my workstation after drinking
    vodka instead of going to his 1st hour 7:25am
    class. We called our school nurse who called 911
    and got an ambulence. He was unable to stand
    and needed to be carried out on a stretcher to go
    to the local hospital. Our Dean of Students has
    issued five out of school suspensions since Thursday.

    Adam’s ministry is to reach out to those in his
    community to make a sustainable difference in
    the Kingdom of God. He has placed his family in
    the midst of his neighborhood with intentionality
    for His Goodness.

    Luke 15:31-32 NLT
    “His father said to him, `Look, dear son, you
    and I are very close, and everything I have is
    yours. [32] We had to celebrate this happy day.
    For your brother was dead and has come back
    to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’ ”

    May there be much success as we pray for these
    families, our neighbors for His divine mercy to give
    to them the strength, the encouragement and hope
    to overcome the wild living, overcome the struggles
    and find the lost to come home to the LORD.

    Reply

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