Somebody’s gotta do it. Just glad it’s not me.

Some fans getting up awfully early to provide a crowded backdrop for the ESPN GameDay production at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, with the crowd being allowed in around 4 a.m. on Saturday.

gameday-grillParticipating fans are contained with a fenced area behind the ESPN panel of commentators, waiting a couple of hours for the show to begin. When the red light goes on, the fans feel compelled to jump up and down for two hours, waving their homemade signs, some of them standing on other people’s shoulders, hoping to get some air time.

I have rarely watched more than three minutes of GameDay but with all the money ESPN pours into the show, it must have respectable ratings. It’s a major production from start to end. On Monday, there were already ten massive 18-wheeler trucks unloading equipment in the vicinity of the Cardinal Express cabooses and the Trager indoor practice center.

Game Day Stage
Game Day Stage

While this is the first GameDay event for UofL football at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, it’s old hat for Florida State, which has hosted 23 of them at Doak Walker Stadium in Tallahassee.

Numerous fans were out Thursday night as the workers put the finishing touches on the supporting equipment and the main stage. Fans staking out the territory, eager for Saturday to arrive.

Have fun, guys. Anything before 8:30 a.m. is too early for this observer.

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muhammad

Tributes to the late Muhammad Ali will be an integral part of the national showcase for the UofL-Florida State football game. Ali was a frequent visitor at Louisville games, including football, basketball and baseball.

louisville-helmetA large butterfly has been painted on the lawn in front of the Howard Schnellenberger Complex and UofL players will have the same butterfly on the back of their specially designed red helmets.

Going to be a day that UofL fans won’t soon forget.

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By Charlie Springer

Charlie Springer is a former Louisville editor and sportswriter, a public affairs consultant, a UofL grad and longtime fan.