FSU vs. Florida softball captures essence of college sports amidst realignment insanity
Wednesday night's softball showdown between No. 10 Florida State and No. 2 Florida reminded us of what makes college athletics special.
The pregame line to get through security gates wrapped around the stadium and into the parking lot as hundreds of Seminole and Gator fans alike anxiously waited in anticipation of a top-10 showdown. Parents snapped photos of their awe-struck children and friends turned into rivals as a loud and raucous post-season-like environment overcame the Seminole Softball Complex.
In front of a sold-out 1,737 fans at JoAnne Graf field, and an overflow of fans packed on the hill and accompanying parking garage behind left field, the Seminoles and Gators showed the passion and importance of rivalry contest between neighboring universities.
It's something that can get lost in a college athletics news cycle dominated by talks of conference realignment and a transfer portal more akin to professional sports free agency than student athletes changing universities.
Those headlines are a product of the time, however, and the desire by athletic programs to maximize revenue flows.
With football driving the realignment narrative, sports like softball are often casualties of an uncertain future and the logistical headaches of cross-country road trips that were previously few and far between.
More importantly, with conferences like the SEC and Big Ten expanding, scheduling games like FSU vs. Florida becomes harder.
Neither team had to play each other on Wednesday. Heck, it was a risk in itself for both teams, considering how a loss could impact potential post-season seeding.
It was a calculated risk that both coaches, Lonni Alameda and Tim Walton, were happy to agree to but could only do so for one game this season.
SEC scheduling forced the typical two-game series into a one-off between the rivals. While the plan is for the two-game series to resume next year, Alameda even admitted that things can change in the modern era of college sports.
"Every year, it's just a little bit different. Next year we are scheduled for two, but who knows with who's in what conference anymore, so it's like, 'How do you figure it out," Alameda joked.
Both programs have played two games a season for the last decade, barring the COVID year, and the series' importance goes beyond the two schools' rankings and records.
The games are a showcase of softball in the state of Florida, a benchmark for young players who hope to reach the pinnacle of the sport and compete at the standard setters in the state.
Alameda and Walton know that, and that's part of the reason they continue to go out of their way to schedule the annual rivalry showdown.
"Tim [Walton] doesn't have to play us, but he respects the rivalry. When you get into the SEC and how big the SEC is now, he makes sure that we keep this alive, and I appreciate that. Then you get the SEC and ACC deal going on, but we know how important this is for the state of Florida," Alameda said.
"We play in the fall and play in the spring, his respect for that is huge to keep that going... now it's a respect for each other. We know it's big for each other, we want to be top eight seeds, we want to host, we know the big picture of growing our athletes in Florida by hosting our games here."
It hits at the heart of what makes college athletics so special.
Alongside a high-level display of the sport, games like the one on Wednesday further develop a connection with the community and the state and offer a dream to chase for young onlookers and for fans to experience a special environment.
While the future of many athletic programs, particularly sports like football, revolve around television contracts and conference alligances, sports like softball and others feel the consequences of these decisions.
As things continue to change rapidly in college athletics, the game played on the dirt diamond at the Seminole Softball Complex was a good reminder of what truly makes the heart tick in college sports.
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