This is my first FanPost, so forgive me if it is incorrect in any way.  But this is something I've wanted to say for a long damn time, and I feel like maybe, this will be the only place people will fully understand.

I love the Cougars.

Phew.  There.  I don't think my girlfriend, my co-workers, or even my family members understand that.  I don't root for the Cougs.  I love them.  They are a part of my sanity.  My emotions, both good and bad, are tied directly to how they fare in sports.  And I don't ever want that to change.

When I was forced to choose whether or not I wanted to be a Coug or a Husky, I felt the choice was simple.  All of the people that I knew at UW were arrogant, pompous, and stuck up.  They talked down to people who didn't have a trust fund, or drove something other than a luxury car.  They wore purple & gold on football Saturdays, but then went back to playing croquet and drinking expensive wine.  All the people I knew that were at WSU loved being Cougs.  They wore their crimson & gray every day, not just on game day.  When I wore a WSU t-shirt to a Mariners game, 4 different people stopped me just to say "Go Cougs" and give me a high five.  We didn't sit and talk, we didn't pretend to know each other, we didn't do anything other than acknowledge the Crimson & Gray in each others hearts.  And that was the day I became a full fledged Coug.

My girlfriend used to (kind of) root for UW because she had friends there.  Then I pointed out all the things wrong with UW and why she should love the Cougs.  It started out during basketball season when she thought Rochestie was easy on the eyes.  My favorite assessment of him was "I like that he wears high socks."  I mean, you can't make this stuff up.  Then when we went to a party, my buddy and I sat around talking about how good Klay will be and she chimed in with "Don't forget about Casto."  All the guys around stopped, looked at each other, looked at me, and then gave her a high five because she was retaining the information.  In fact, she talks to people at work about the Cougs and how much she loves Tuel already and that Simone and her are getting married (but don't worry, she said I can still come to the wedding).

Husky fans are there when the getting is good.  I can't tell you how many bandwagon fans are trying to talk smack to me now that they're semi-relevant again.  Really?  Where were you last year?  See, when WSU does poorly, we stick around.  We don't watch because they're winning, we watch because they're OUR team.  It's something I can't explain to anyone who isn't a Coug, and all of you Cougs reading this immidiately know what I mean.  It's the same reason I point and give a little fist pump every time I see a vehicle with a Coug bumper sticker/window decal on the freeway, and the same reason I say "Go Cougs" to everyone wearing anything WSU that I see in public, and it's the same reason I taught my son (who was 3 at the time) the E-Drid "Go Cougs" rap song.  He later saw someone wearing a Husky shirt and said, "We don't like the Huskies.  The Huskies suck."  And another Coug is born.

I apologize for the terrible flow of this FanPost.  I wasn't really trying to piece together a well written article as much as I was relying on emotion.  And dammit, I love the Cougs.