Welcome into the first ever episode of “From The Pink Seats” hosted by Jacob Lane and Matt McGavic.
It may not feel like it to you, but the conception of this podcast is the result of years of hard work, fading seats, and a fanbase who at their core bleeds red. Though this particular football season may not feel like it, the Louisville football program has long since been on a Collison Course with a National Title, and the seats that are currently half red, half pink at Cardinal Stadium are a perfect metaphor for what the program and fanbase have endured.
Louisville sports, for more than two decades, have been on the up and up. This has been a welcomed adjustment period between Louisville’s identity as a premier basketball school to national leaders in almost every conceivable college sport.
Prior to the 90s, Louisville was a little-known commuter school in a city more well-known for bourbon and horse racing. However, the rise to the top has helped the school, city, and ever-expanding fan base gain notoriety and respect.
Still, this community of fans lives daily with a chip on their shoulder.
The city attracts coaches, student-athletes, and loyal supporters who bring a blue-collar attitude. The still relatively newfound championship pedigree is one that belongs to this city, not just those who coached or played here. And we don’t take that lightly.
We wear that badge of honor and defy you to disrespect it. We are the new kids on the block; A program teetering on the edge of blue blood territory. And we don’t plan on letting up soon.
We feel disrespected when associated with our neighbors to the east when held to a lower standard because of our mid-major upbringing, and yes, when someone insults those damn pink seats. Because we remember when those same seats were red. When the Cardinal Stadium field was green, and the 45,000 capacity seemed lofty.
We knew our Cards long before those days. To the metal bleachers and good old fashioned ass-kickings we received in Old Cardinal Stadium. We remember the hard days. But as those poorly conceived seats faded, we grew. We improved each year. Not just in football and basketball, but in baseball, women’s basketball, soccer, swimming, track and field, and everywhere in between. Those seats saw Floyd Street go from a ghost town to a mile stretch of beautiful, state of the art stadiums and arenas (and one god awful McDonald’s).
Though the pink seats have been all nearly replaced, we kind of like them in a odd way. Because, to an extent, they are a perfect representation of who we are.
What would otherwise be the most beautiful stadium in the country lacks a certain luster because of the unfortunate damage of the sun rays and thousands (and I mean THOUSANDS) of spilled beers. And we like that.
Louisville will never be the prettiest.
Louisville football will never have the true blue blood pedigree.
But those ugly seats are one of the small things that have kept that chip on our shoulder.
Episode 1 Takeaways
- Louisville’s big win over Syracuse
- Problems with turnovers
- What to do about the QB position?
- The defense pitched a shut out and that’s a huge deal
- Cards in for a tough matchup against Boston College, but one that’s winnable
New episodes drop weekly!
