Whether by television, newspaper or Internet, updates are eagerly anticipated.
By EMILY NIPPS
Published December 25, 2003
[Special to the Times]
Lt. Col. Dennis McFadden of the 32nd Transportation Group holds a flag that was autographed by several Bucs players. It was sent to the Middle East by Shelton Quarles' Brave Kids organization.
Soldiers from the 32nd Transportation Group in Iraq were not around to see the surprise Thanksgiving visit from President Bush in Baghdad, but hearing news of the trip was uplifting.
They did meet celebrities Robin Williams, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Wayne Newton, who signed autographs and put on shows for the Army unit in Kuwait.
There's one guy, though, who would bring a lot of the soldiers goose bumps if he were to show up one day.
Bucs safety John Lynch.
"We admire the way he conducts himself, the way he plays with heart," Lt. Col. Dennis McFadden said. "He's definitely one of the big heroes over here."
Waking up at 3:30 a.m. to watch a Bucs game on the Armed Forces Network is a small sacrifice for the Tampa-based unit, in which most soldiers work 14-17 hours each day. The soldiers can catch primetime games (U.S. time), and the entertainment is a nice reprieve from the 130-degree heat of August and the monotonous task of transporting vehicles and supplies shipped to Kuwait.
McFadden, a St. Petersburg Catholic and Saint Leo graduate, is among the first to shuffle out of bed when a Tampa Bay game is about to air. Who cares if the Bucs are having a rotten season? Try turning the game off when your alternative is listening to battle updates. "We do have a lot going on over here," McFadden said. "But football season is something we look forward to. College and pros. ... Guys here talk trash all week long. It's a great outlet for us."
Because McFadden and his fellow overseas Bucs fans - about 100 among the 5,000 in his unit are from Tampa - can catch only three or four games on television, they rely on the Internet to get scores. That's not nearly enough information, though, especially when a tough loss calls for an explanation.
McFadden's girlfriend sends him newspaper stories, and he studies all the stats, charts and photos. It doesn't matter the newspapers are two weeks late.
At the beginning of the season the 32nd Transportation Group received a package from Shelton Quarles' Brave Kids organization. It included a Bucs flag autographed by several players, and McFadden couldn't wait to e-mail a photo of it home to his father, a season-ticket holder since 1983, mother, four sisters and one brother.
Most of the football fans in McFadden's unit took mementos of their favorite teams - hats, shirts and banners - to Kuwait. The Cowboys seem to be the most popular, McFadden said, but it's the Oakland fans who try to get under Bucs fans' skin, taking shots at Tampa Bay's fall. It's hard to get riled up over the razzing, though.
"I'd do the same thing if I was in their shoes and the Raiders had beaten the Bucs in the Super Bowl," he said.
Besides, rooting for the Bucs, or any team, takes on a whole different tone when you're a soldier. Bragging about who has the best defense or most victories doesn't draw the same ire as it does in the States.
And it's not because football doesn't matter. It's because football means something else.
For McFadden and his unit, the Bucs' season isn't about a 7-8 record or disappointing run. It isn't a win or a loss, or even a game.
