Open Letter to Griz Fans on Behalf of My Son

Griz football season is underway and it is off to a great start. The Montana Grizzlies just wrapped up their final non-conference game with a big "W" versus Ferris State. This highly anticipated game was special for a lot of reasons.

1. Griz vs. Ferris State was one of the only night games scheduled for the regular season of 2023. The next is coming on 11/4.
2. It was the "blackout" game. Meaning fans were encouraged to wear black to the game along with the team unveiling their own black jerseys.
3. It was my son's first time attending a game where he actually understood what is happening. (His games attended during his younger years were subject to a short attention span.)

I want to address Griz fans on behalf of my son.

Let me just start by saying "WOW! What a game." The night game sure was a fun one to attend, wasn't it? Being one of the nearly 27,000 people who packed into the stadium, I could sure feel the crowd's energy. So could my son. As we made our way to our seats near the student section, I could not help to notice the look on my kid's face. It was almost blank, like he was awestruck, except for a slight grin. In one of the rare moments in my son's life, he was speechless.

We arrived at our seats in a packed stadium. We shuffled to our seats just in time to catch the first plays of the game. The stadium was loud with cheers. Some of which felt like our section alone was generating some serious decibel levels. We were immediately welcomed by fellow Griz fans and soon became part of our own cheering squad. With everyone joining in on high fives and even a well-done "wave."

I want to thank you all for making the night so special for me and my family. I want to thank the Griz fans who get everyone around them just as hyped for the game as they are. It was so fun to see the look on my kid's face after a successful Griz play. How he would look around anticipating the barrage of high fives coming his way. Almost as if his cheering and loud yelling on 3rd down were single-handedly contributing to the team's success. To wrap it all up with a fireworks show was just icing on the cake.

Until we meet next time at WA/GRIZ "Up with Montana!"

-A fellow member of Griz Nation and father