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Witnessing history is fun
There’s a play burned in my mind that’s not on any TV broadcast or replay. I tried to find it. With about 4 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Buffs were in a TV timeout. The Colorado Buffaloes defense was on the field before the commercial break ended, meaning they were just standing around waiting for the Baylor offense to show up. Travis Hunter is at the boundary cornerback spot, closes to the student section. And he’s dancing and pumping the crowd up. He does this until the game is about to restart.
This doesn’t seem like a very big deal. Players dance all the time. Travis Hunter dances all the time! Here’s why it blew my mind. This was before Hunter’s 120th (just guessing) snap of the night. He played 145 snaps against Baylor. He played twice the game that everyone else played and he STILL had more energy than everyone else. He still had a better attitude than everyone else. And he STILL made the last play of the game, the forced fumble that won the game for the Buffs.
Fantastic players have worn the black and gold. Literally the best players in the country some years. They are legends. The best player that I’ve ever seen live for the Buffs, for my money, is Laviska Shenault. He was a wrecking ball. A unique athletic specimen. He singlehandedly won games for the Buffs. He almost got them to a bowl game until he broke down and the team broke with him. He was incredible.
The “best player that I’ve ever seen live for the Buffs” obviously has a large qualifier. They had to play for CU. If we expand to opponents, then the list gets fun. Shaq Thompson, Khalil Tate, Robert Griffin III, Jabrill Peppers, Christian McCaffrey and Drake London, the list goes on. Great players, Heisman winners, legends of the game.
Hunter now tops them all.
Watching him play football is a true joy. Watching anyone do the thing they were born to do is a gift. Sometimes, when you watch a running back juke someone stupid or a quarterback lead a receiver perfectly into the end zone, you want to play football. Watching Hunter makes me want to find what I’m meant to do in life and screw the rest. Travis Hunter is better than everyone and he makes it look EASY. That’s the true power.
We can go over the stats. In 4 games, he has 37 catches, which is 4th in the country. He has 472 yards, which is 6th in the country. He has 5 touchdowns, which is 5th in the country. You know what those stats don’t show? How goddamn cool the TDs are. I mean just look at this!
On defense, he ONLY has one interception. That’s because no one throws anywhere near him. It’s hard to find consistent stats on how many times Hunter gets targeted, but my eyes tell me it’s less than 10 this year. That’s because he is a glove. Once again, past the stats, look how cool this is:
He literally just runs the better route and high points the ball. I mean, how can you do anything but smile?
Travis Hunter is the best player whenever he is on the field. And he’s literally never not on the field. On offense, he is the receiver that you can’t lose. On defense, he shuts down a side of the offense and plays hard in run support.
But I’m going to throw away some of the footbally stuff here. There is a mythical quality to TH12 that even more fun to watch. He never takes a play off and he is the star of every play. When the moment is momentous (ugh), he meets it and then some. He waits until others get blinded by the spotlight to make his biggest plays. Say what you want, but life seems a bit more scripted for him than others. That’s just who he is.
It can be hard to think sports are worth attending in person. It’s a lot of effort and cost and money’s pernicious influence has never been more on display. it can feel cheap, like they’re factory farming the fans to milk the most money possible. That sucks. Sports, at their best, remind us humanity through ultimately meaningless competition. That’s why they’ve been around forever. When the focus is the money, the humanity fades into the background.
I sound like a man born in the 70s talking about MJ when I say this, but Travis Hunter makes games worth attending in person. Watching him, during the play, before the play, after the game is over, is a JOY. He brings you joy. Because for four hours a week, I get to watch a human do what they were meant to do.
by Jack Barsch
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