BAXLEY: What I've learned about Athens and football in one year living in the Classic City

Standing in the bleachers at Barron Stadium in Rome during a high school football showcase, I talked with a couple of parents from Athens. Their sons were in the midst of the Georgia Elite Classic a few days before Christmas, putting on their skills in front of high school football fans and parents from across the state.

We didn’t talk just about sports. We talked about their son's favorite music, the best restaurants in Athens, about life, all while a bunch of sophomores were playing an offseason scrimmage.

Then one of the dads brought up a tweet of mine from a month prior and expressed how thankful he and his family were that I’m still here. In the tweet, I went into detail on my journey with depression and an attempt to kill myself in November 2019. Upon mention of the tweet, I smiled, said thanks and shrugged it off as a gesture of kindness from someone who wanted what’s best for me.

A few months later in a phone interview with a high school coach outside of Athens, the coach said he’d seen the same tweet and again stated that he appreciated my vulnerability and openness to tell my story.

These aren’t the only two people that have shown love and appreciation for my transparency the past year. Having two men that I had previously had only a few conversations with verbalize that to me gives me hope.

And I’m grateful I’m here, too. Not just in a metaphorical sense of being “here” on earth because frankly I’ve been to therapy and come to terms with how fortunate I am to still be alive. But I’m grateful to have the opportunity to live and work in Athens, Georgia.

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In the last year, I’ve immersed myself in the Athens high school football community, meeting with talented players and coaches that a year ago I was ignorant to. I didn’t know of the history of the Classic City Championship and what it means for those schools’ identities. I’d never experienced a Friday night in Memorial Stadium where everyone is decked out in red and blue, eager for another state championship. The tomahawk chop that breaks out ahead of the fourth quarter at Oconee County was something I thought only happened with the Braves and in Tallahassee.

There’s something special here. You can feel it in the conversations you have with players and fans. There’s passion. There’s an abundance of talent.

And maybe less surprisingly, but most welcome, was a community that welcomed me. Before last August, I’d been to Athens a handful of times to visit friends over the years and that’s all. Now, I have my coffee shops and dive restaurants I frequent. I have an understanding of the community I cover and connect with.

Sports matter in this community and I’ve gotten to experience it first hand — from a high school player getting his first college football offer to the dynasty on the gymnastics mats to covering a top athlete excel in multiple sports.

And that’s just high school sports.

For the first time since 1981, the Georgia Bulldogs begin the college football season as defending national champions. Getting to attend several College GameDay shows last season was special. Seeing the passion of Georgia football fans and the uniqueness of downtown Athens on a college football Saturday was something that I hope I never overlook.

The success of the 2021 Bulldogs allowed me to interview members of the College GameDay crew, cover my first SEC Championship and national championship, go to Indianapolis for the first time and spend hours selling newspapers — something that reinvigorated my hope for the newspaper industry, even if it meant losing sleep out of excitement and exhaustion.

I’ve enjoyed this experience, and I’m ready for another football season. I’m not going anywhere, so don’t read this as that. This is just a thank you for reading my work and supporting me and this paper. Let’s have some fun.

McClain Baxley is a recruiting reporter for the Athens Banner-Herald and the USA TODAY Network. Reach him by email at mbaxley@onlineathens.com or on Twitter at @mcclainbaxley.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: McClain Baxley: What I've learned about football and Athens