To most, Homecoming is a sports game with the bonus
of a dance. To me, Homecoming was a dance with the
bonus of a sports game. I’d never seen a football game
before. All I knew was that PHS was unusually terrible at
it (based on past years’ statistics) and that the announcer
was so loud I could hear him speaking from my backyard.

But this year, I wanted to go and have that typical
American high school experience. I had accidentally
bought two tickets to the game, so I dragged my
mom along with me. When we arrived at the field
fifteen minutes late, everything was already in
chaos: the cheerleaders were shaking their pompoms, spectators were sitting everywhere they
possibly could, and someone scored a touchdown?

I think that first touchdown made it quite
clear to me how little I knew about football. In
fact, about two hours of my viewing were spent
just trying to figure out what I was watching.

When I finally understood, it was hard not to get
sucked into the game. With every touchdown, the
audience stomped; I stomped too. With every musical
interlude, my heart beat a little faster. The constant
stopping and starting barely even bothered me anymore.

At halftime, when the players left the field, I started to
see things clearly again. How did I get so caught up in
the game? How did years of disinterest vanish so quickly?

A little thought and I realized: it was all a show. The
music, the roars, the crowd, the cheerleaders, the blinding
lights. The commentators, the subtle digs at the other
team, the row of substitute players that blocked our vision.
It was like sitting in a theater box, watching something
beautiful but mostly unreal. The atmosphere was what
made the game; the game could not possibly stand alone.

And then I had some questions. Why football? Where is
this excitement for other school sports? Why isn’t there a
Homecoming for any girls’ team? Why is girls’ role during
the biggest game of the school year to be cheerleaders
wearing players’ names? Is this tradition worth it?

Then the lights turned back on, the music started
to play, and those thoughts were pounded out of my
head as if by a hammer. The fanfare was a cover, a
distraction. It was hard to think but easy to cheer.

That isn’t to say that I didn’t have fun. I’m glad PHS
won, and I now have a genuine interest in football. I had
a great night at Homecoming. But how much of it was
the game, and how much was the crazy show of it all? 

The Tower

Rohan Viswanathan's Work

The Tower