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The Duck Commander Bowl And Being Spoiled By Success


By Jarrett Davis 12/26/2014 | jarrett@blockcblog.com



Merry Christmas Gamecock Nation.  We are just a few days away from the Duck Commander Independence Bowl in Shreveport Louisiana.  This is not where we wanted to be, but for some of us Dec. 27th is an off day more easily obtained than Jan 1ST.  Yes. That’s all I have, the sunshine cup has run dry.  It does not seem that many are excited about packing for Shreveport.  The ticket sales are putrid, and shouldn’t they be?  The negative energy surrounding the program hasn’t been this thick since Iowa and Shon Greene pushed around a less than motivated Carolina Club in The Outback Bowl.  I told myself and others that it would be great to beat Miami.  The “U” is annoying, each and every season they think they are elite.  Each and every season they are a mid range ACC program.  They point to a rich history of producing NFL talent and a handful of National Championships.   I point to a program that set the bar for cheating (Later reset by Auburn).   Now that I have thrown a few rocks I am up for the game right?  Nope.  As I conversed with Gamecock fans this week I had to admit I wouldn’t go to Shreveport even if the tickets were free.  I hope the Gamecock players are motivated to win Saturday, but I couldn’t blame Gamecock fans for feeling less than passionate about the match up.  We expect to win, we deserve to win and this season is not a winning season regardless of the bowl outcome.   A little less than mid way through the disappointing 2014 season the cries for a better product where loud.  Then something strange happened, the term “Spoiled by Success” surfaced as what some felt to be an adequate description of the Gamecock fan base.  Spurrier scolded us for accepting mediocre seasons, cheering moral victories, and we are what he asked us to be, I said repeatedly all season.   Then Connor Shaw said this on twitter.


I think a lot of Connor Shaw; I think he is a fine leader who is destined to be a head coach somewhere.  Needless to say Shaw’s statement rocked me back in my seat a bit.  I was driving down the highway, no music, no sports radio, silently contemplating Shaw’s comment and the idea of Gamecock fans being spoiled.  I thought about how excited I was when we broke through and won an ugly Carquest bowl with a mediocre team.   I had no regrets when we drove to Memphis, and beat Houston a few years ago; we celebrated and went home happy.  Like I said I wouldn’t drive to this game with free tickets in hand.  So what is the difference in then and now?  If we beat the U I will be happy, but I will not have any idea about what to expect next season.  A solid bowl performance will not piece together all the variables that went astray in the Gamecock 2014 program.  I want to hear the weaknesses acknowledged and I want to know how the staff plans to remedy these weaknesses in 2015.  The season was a failure on many levels, and I think the fans are tired of all the consolation bowls.   We have been there before, and now nothing short of playing in Atlanta on Dec. 2nd is good enough.  

So maybe we are spoiled by success?  

If we are spoiled so is every other quality program in America, Winners do not like losing.  The Key here is Spurrier spent many years changing the culture at Carolina, the change took place in the players, fans, administration and major boosters.  The fragile expectation of a championship has finally been erected, just to have many try to tear down the lofted expectations with phrases like spoiled by success.  This is a free country and all the naysayers have a right to be wrong, but I will say to all of you on that side of the thought process KISS OUR SPOILED ASS!

By Jarrett Davis 12/26/2014