Just got back from Atlanta to watch a Hawks game, ugh. Pro basketball has become a 3 ring circus vs being the sport I remember as kid in LA. Regardless, housed in the same arena is the college football hall of fame. It too is lame, if you compare to the pro baseball or football hof, but the one great part was as we toured the place the SC band kicked on, playing tribute so I turn around to see where it's coming from and there stands an employee wearing an SC hat - retired gentleman volunteering at the museum. My son is wearing a Carson Palmer jersey so the man approaches us- he's got 2 Tommy Trojan tattoos on his arm with the dates of both his father and grandfathers time playing football at SC (can't recall their names, sorry) but he tells a story to my son - he says, when I was your age I loved wooden and bruin basketball. They had Lee Alcindor, etc., so my dad is taking me to the 1966 Ucla vs USC football game and I think I'm gonna root for the Bruins but he kneels down and says "root for who you like, just know you're a Bruin for 4 years but a Trojan for life." He then says to my son... "From that point forward I was a Trojan and graduated with a degree in engineering then went back for my MBA. Best decision of my life. My grand daughter is there now in the film school."
I realized that wherever I go, that heritage is with me. Made me smile.