Hating Florida State Is Easy

Back in 1969, the Toledo Rockets went on a historic run, winning 35 football games in a row. The win streak stretched from the 1969 season to the 1971 season, eventually snapped by the Tampa Spartans.

And during that three-year span, Toledo was celebrated.

The three teams the Rockets fielded during the streak are still regarded as some of the most special groups of young men in FBS history.

There was no controversy surrounding their program, no volatile personalities, no reason to dislike them other than jealousy. And even to that measure, it was hard to be mad at a team that had only ever won nine games twice before.

Now fast forward 40 years. Florida State is in the middle of quite an historic run themselves, and yet everyone is vehemently calling for its conclusion.

Their win tally is now at 27 in a row, and the entire nation, it seems, is calling for another
magical upset by the Florida Gators. If they could run all over Georgia, why not Florida State? Right?

No one cares how they do it, either, whether it’s by running the ball for 400 yards, finding a passing game somewhere deep within, setting boobie traps on the Florida State sideline, sending eleven live gators out onto the field, or hiding a sniper up in the press box.

All anyone wants now is for Florida State to lose.

No one wants them anywhere close to Oklahoma’s incredible win streak of 47 games; in fact, I doubt many would have a problem with Florida State never winning another game.

As of now, Florida State is the most hated sports entity in America. It’s so easy to hate them, too.

It all starts with Jameis Winston, of course. He caught the attention of the nation last year with equal doses of his exceptional decision-making on the field and his extremely
poor decision-making off of it.

Setting aside the sexual assault allegations (enough to deservedly make any person into a
villain) and investigation into receiving money for signed memorabilia, Winston has shown time and time again that he does not care how his actions affect those around him.

He has proven himself to be a selfish, spoiled, arrogant child. And that attitude has not only been tolerated in Tallahassee, it seems to have been cultivated somehow.

Jimbo Fisher has done little to nothing in the way of reining in his Heisman winner.

He has not only enabled Winston’s behavior, he has defended it. He claims that his quarterback is an outstanding citizen and young man, who is being singled out, picked on, and unfairly attacked by the media and the rest of the nation.

This guy stole crab legs from Publix. He and a couple of teammates shot up an apartment complex with BB guns. He stood up on a table in the Florida State student center and yelled the most vulgar and inappropriate phrase he could have, given that he definitely engaged in a sexual encounter, despite not being accused of assault.

He’s a lightning rod for trouble. And he’s apparently not the only bad seed in his locker room. Starting tailback Karlos Williams was being investigated in the alleged dealing of marijuana, and in response, Jimbo Fisher called him a “tremendous kid... A tremendous ambassador.”

By all appearances no one in Florida State’s locker room has any desire to follow rules of any kind.

And they only seem to make it easier for the rest of us to passionately hope for their demise.

We’ve all seen the video by now: Jameis Winston shoved a referee.

He was trying to hurry up the offense and get the ball snapped, but since the defense was

allowed to substitute, the official was standing over the ball.

Obviously “Famous Jameis” didn’t approve of this.

But here’s the problem: Winston should have at least been flagged for the incident, but most likely kicked out of the game.

The incident sparked nationwide controversy, with many clamoring for Winston to be suspended.

What ended up being a relatively small incident during another exciting comeback win for the Seminoles has since turned into more fuel for the fire burning against Florida State.

Everything Florida State does now is toxic, but it just so happens that all of their actions seem to (almost intentionally) further embroil them in controversy and criticism.

Of all the things Jameis Winston had to do in that situation, why did he have to shove the ref out of the way?

At every turn, Florida State just continues to pile on the garbage, continues to load ammo into the gun the rest of the country has pointed at them.

All it will take is for one legal allegation to stick.

Whether it’s the sexual assault or autograph investigations against Jameis Winston, drug charges or domestic assault allegations against Karlos Williams, or any other consequence
of the destructive decision-making inherent in this football program, one of these investigations will sink them.

And that’s why we hate them.

They keep breaking the rules and getting away with it. Their quarterback is not a good person, their coach is living in a delusion about the “character” of his team, and they
pretend that they are the victims.

They have become the villains. And we never want to see villains rewarded for being so completely opposite of noble.

That’s why, this Saturday, we’re all Florida Gators fans.