I never thought I would see the day when Florida State University’s football program would be the most hated team in all of sports. I know FSU has never been the most popular entity in college football. Between the infamous decade of the “Criminoles”, the way legendary coach Bobby Bowden was purged from the program which he built, and the schoolboy antics of Seminoles players ranging from Deion Sanders to Chris Rix, it is fair to say that there has been a sizable group of FSU haters for quite some time now. When the Noles took home the crystal football last January, the number of people who could be counted on to cheer against FSU only grew. That is standard procedure. People always dislike you when you are at the top.
Where the Seminoles sit in the public eye today, however, is a completely different story. This is not your classic Miami Heat Big Three, Tom Brady’s Patriots, Saban’s Crimson Tide type of disdain. The Seminoles are suffering from something much more grave. Nine months after bringing a third National Championship back to Tallahassee, Florida State University’s football program, administration, fan base, and city of residence have collectively become the proverbial punching bag of the sport universe. Sports fans everywhere, even the ones who entertain only a slight interest in college football, have come to hate the Florida State Seminoles.
Well, it all began with Jameis Winston. This is an important point for Seminoles fans to acknowledge. The Noles would not be in this position at all had Jameis Winston found a way to be more mature. When Jameis told reporters that he wanted them to hit him in the head with their microphones if he ever got “Johnny Manziel disease” way back in August of 2013, I’m sure none of us envisioned the tumultuous ride of insubordination he would take us all on. In his career at Florida State, Jameis Winston has been thoughtless, insensitive, silly, and sophomoric. In other words, he has acted like nearly every other 20 year male at Florida State University. But when you are such a high profile athlete, the most high profile athlete in your entire sport, you are held to a higher standard. More accurately, you are expected to hold yourself to a higher standard. Jameis Winston has not done that during his time at Florida State. He certainly deserves criticism for that being the case.