The Red and Black

Issue date: 3/24/09 Section: Opinions

ADAM ROSENBERG

Most Georgia students have plenty of memories, however hazy they may be, from the banks of the St. Johns River.

Whether it's the indelible image of Georgia's impromptu dance party in the end zone in 2007, the humiliation of last season's blowout loss to Florida or simply the vision of an endless sea of red and black clashing with orange and blue, the Georgia-Florida game in Jacksonville has a special place in many hearts.

But what if "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" traded The Landing for Buckhead and The Gator Bowl for The Georgia Dome? Would it still hold the same place in the hearts of Bulldogs and Gators alike?

We may find out if Gary Stokan of the Atlanta Sports Council has his way, although Georgia Athletic Director Damon Evans says any action to move the event is still far off. Stokan has brought up the idea of moving the annual border war between Georgia and the hated Gators to Atlanta's Georgia Dome once every four years.

Regardless of what stage of fruition these talks are in, it's an interesting concept to imagine The WLOCP finding a home in Atlanta every four years.

From a purely football standpoint, it's hard to argue that playing the game in Atlanta wouldn't benefit the Bulldogs. Georgia players could sleep soundly in Athens the night before the game and not have to worry about the distractions of travel and hotels.

There's never a shortage of Georgia fans in Jacksonville each year, but moving the game to the Georgia Dome would ensure red and black would outnumber orange and blue.

But the reasons to move this game to Atlanta are limited to the football field. Although I could live without the jacked up hotel prices and travel hassles of Jacksonville, thinking about The WLOCP amidst the backdrop of downtown Atlanta just doesn't do it for me.

To me, the best part of Georgia-Florida is the tailgating. Where exactly would the nation of RVs park? Something tells me the green space of Centennial Park won't be available for grills and makeshift bars.

Jacksonville also has its famous tourist trap, The Landing. Though Atlanta has plenty of decent night spots, there's nothing like downing some overpriced cocktails and injecting yourself into a liquored-up mass of Gators and Bulldogs at The Landing.

Of course it doesn't seem fair that Georgia has to play in a stadium previously known as "The Gator Bowl" in what is supposed to be a game at a neutral site. We all know that Jacksonville is much closer to Gainesville than Athens.

Unfortunately, this game is about more than just who wins. The yearly pilgrimage to Florida is a rite of passage for many Georgia students. Sure, it's costly and often leads to bone-dry bank accounts and hours of sleep debt.

In 20 years, I don't think I would look back on a trip to Atlanta for a football game nearly as fondly as I would remember my trips to Jacksonville.

Though Jacksonville would be a much more desirable trip to make if Georgia won there a little more often, I don't think it's fair to blame Florida's recent dominance on the site of the game.

There were many red and black victory parties on St. Simons Island before Steve Spurrier took over in Gainesville. Undoubtedly, there will be plenty more to come.

Evans has said the "talks" to move the game to Atlanta are barely newsworthy. Stokan has simply brought the idea to the table and Georgia, as it always does, will listen and do what's best for the school. Jacksonville may not be the most beautiful of cities, and the Gators may have a lot more fond memories there in recent years than we do. Even so, there's no place on the planet I'd rather be for one hopeful and hazy weekend every fall.

- Adam Rosenberg is a senior from Acworth

majoring in newspapers.

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