West Virginia Pride From Unexpected Places

It Can Be Hard Being From West Virginia

If you’re a regular reader of the Cardinal’s Nest blog or general follower of our work here at the Cardinal Institute, you’re likely a member of the special club that’s always known that West Virginia is a hidden gem, a diamond in the rough, or one of America’s best kept secrets. Unfortunately, too often we’ve been associated with unsettling headlines, cheap jokes lobbed along socioeconomic lines, or altogether forgotten by way of getting lumped in with the state we left over 161 years ago.

To the extent West Virginia has been the center of anything resembling positive attention across the country in more recent years, it has too often felt tied to politics and Joe Manchin’s status as a critical member of the United States Senate. Despite the questions about Manchin growing tiresome, I won’t pretend that it hasn’t been nice on some level to be the belle of the ball for a while whenever I’d travel for work related events and mention that I’m from West Virginia.

But we’ve typically lacked a rock-solid hype-man (or woman) for the state. When we’ve had one of our own in the spotlight, their “West Virginia-ness” was often very secondary to some other job or objective. Put simply, it’s rare for us to have someone with an outsized voice in popular culture that shares a deep love for and pride in having strong ties to the Mountain State.

…Until this fall…

Nick Saban Represents Mountaineers on College GameDay

In February, Fairmont’s own Nick Saban joined the ESPN College GameDay lineup as an analyst. There, he’s found himself seated beside Mountaineer kicking great, Pat McAfee.

According to a 2023 press release from ESPN, College GameDay is the most-watched sports news and studio show on cable, averaged 2.0 million viewers per show, and reached over 30.0 million viewers over the course of the season.

For three hours every Saturday morning in the fall, millions of folks across the country are watching the Elder Statesman and the “Funcle” of college football – both with strong ties and deep love for West Virginia. A full third of the College Gameday lineup.

Think about that for a second, it’s pretty wild. And pretty awesome.

Obviously, both men have earned their seats at the table. Pat McAfee has forged an amazing career for himself after retiring from the NFL and honing his media craft through the various iterations of the Pat McAfee Show and other pursuits. There’s hardly a more accomplished coach in college football than Nick Saban, and his insights into the game make him a stellar analyst as he’s beginning his broadcasting career.

Saban & McAfee add to the joy of the Backyard Brawl

As I’ve cozied up on my living room couch the last four Saturdays and prepared to enjoy a glorious day of sports, I’ve tuned into GameDay as I have for many years. While the heart and soul of the show is the same as it has ever been, I find myself enjoying the broadcast even more this year.

Sure, the Mountaineers have had a couple of very rivalrous match ups in the opening weeks of the season that have offered them more time and space in the pregame show limelight. (Let’s not talk about how those matchups have gone, okay?) But while my emotions are riding high and the kickoff anticipation is growing, I can’t help but feel my pride for West Virginia as a state swell while I watch McAfee and Saban on GameDay.

Coach Saban’s line last Saturday during the preview of the Backyard Brawl captures much of that pride:

“This is the biggest event of the year if you’re from West Virginia. I grew up chanting ‘Beat the hell out of Pitt’ and I’m not changing that today.”

This is an incredibly simple statement, I know.

It’s more than just a football game to a lot of us, last Saturday or any given Saturday. The Backyard Brawl is a shared statewide cultural event. It’s a thread that ties friends through the various eras of our lives. It creates a sentiment that many of us grew up with, whether passed down through family tradition or adopted through cultural osmosis. And it is a sentiment that many of us will pass on to our own children.

Saban & McAfee Are Good Ambassadors of West Virginia Culture

But in two short sentences, Coach Saban shared so much about the West Virginia experience.

Coming from a state that boasts a smaller population than the average College GameDay viewing audience, I felt incredibly represented by Coach Saban and Pat McAfee sharing their passion for West Virginia and West Virginia University.

And I’m proud every single Saturday to watch them.