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Why Sanford Stadium’s bathroom situation probably won’t get better any time soon

David Barnes/AJC
Cy Brown
Cy Brown

Welcome to your one-stop shop for all the relevant UGA football news and takes every Monday through Friday.

Bathroom blues

There has been a furor among Bulldogs fans about the lack of investment in the fan experience at Sanford Stadium ever since athletic director Greg McGarity, president Jere Morehead and coach Kirby Smart announced $63 million in renovations to the west end zone. Among those renovations are a new locker room and a recruiting room. Not among them: improvements to the horrific bathroom situation or a way to curb congestion in the concourse and at concession stands.

Seth Emerson of DawgNation kicked off the firestorm concerning the bathrooms by asking McGarity about them at the presser for the dedication of the indoor practice facility. McGarity basically sidestepped the question and said they plan to get to it, maybe, one day.

“You prioritize stuff as they become important,” he said. “A master plan, it probably touches every facility that we have. So, there’s a lot of other projects for other facilities that are in a master plan. But a lot of things are important as we go on, and some things rise to the level of importance.”

Any place you look where folks are talking about the bathroom situation, you’ll see fan after fan (rightfully) gripe about the sorry state of the bathrooms at Sanford. Bill King of Junkyard Blawg and Senator Blutarsky of Get The Picture had good pieces, with tons of comments from fans. The crappy bathroom situation — I’m so sorry — is something that has kept fans away from Sanford, and it’ll probably keep more away in the future. But don’t think it will change anything with regards to Georgia’s facilities.

McGarity, Morehead and Smart have done the simple calculus. You can build a diehard fan base with a winning football team, but you can’t build a winning football team with a diehard fan base. When you win enough games, a lot of people will be willing to put up with long lines at the urinal.

It’s unfortunate because they are right. The general consensus among Bulldogs fans seems to be that if the fan base, collectively, wants to do something to improve the situation at Sanford, it will need to walk with its wallet: by not putting butts in seats or dollars in the athletic department’s coffers. And that’s all well and good when nothing is going the program’s way.

If and when Georgia starts competing for titles again, fans will flock to Sanford Stadium, no matter the state of disrepair. But if they renovated the bathrooms to be top of the line, then stayed at the level we’ve seen for the last half decade, you’d still see empty corners in the stadium every Saturday. They’re taking advantage of fans because we’re irrational and because they know they can. It really stinks, but what can you do? Because I’m sure as heck not going to miss a game if Georgia is on a championship run, even if that means standing in line for 30 minutes to pee in a trough.

Any way, I don’t know how to end this, so here’s Knowshon Moreno hurdling that Central Michigan defender, just because. Sorry if you missed it while in line for the bathroom.

John Calipari goes to bat for Mark Fox

Kentucky head basketball coach John Calipari went on a bit of a rant following the Wildcats’ narrow win against Georgia on Saturday night at Stegeman Coliseum. Cal stood up for Mark Fox in the wake of criticism of the Bulldogs coach’s performance and speculation about his future in Athens. The rant also was tinted by the news of N.C. State firing coach Mark Gottfried, effective at the end of the season.

There is some truth to what Cal is saying. To simplify, Georgia is not as bad as its record would leave you to believe. This team has caught some bad breaks this season — like the shot clock in the Texas A&M game — and lost some close games that it could have, and perhaps should have, won. Cal even rattled off the long list of all the games Georgia should have won this season.

And that’s the problem. While Cal gives him credit for keeping Georgia in those games, most Fox detractors feel the way they do because, like Cal says, Georgia should have won those games. But they didn’t. When you should have won five different times and never did, why would anyone have faith that you will be able to do so in the future? Fans don’t care about being competitive. They care about winning.

Around campus

UGA baseball goes 1-2 vs. College of Charleston on opening weekend

Gym Dogs put up 196.975 for best road score of the season

Lady Dogs beat LSU in overtime on Senior Day

Softball wins five more, moves to 12-0 on the season

Both UGA swimming and diving teams finish second at SEC Championships

UGA golf leads Puerto Rico Classic at 7 under par

ICYMI

Good dog

I also only have two legs so consider me unimpressed.

NEXT Some Dawgs fans unhappy with UGA’s priorities at Sanford Stadium
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