Friday Forum: Let’s play, Gators

We don’t know whether there will be actual games during the summer or fall of 2020. There’s enough uncertainty in the world thanks to COVID-19 — even as the slow process of preparing to play in a pandemic begins — that we can’t be sure of anything happening this fall, not on fields or in stadiums or in classrooms.

But we do have video games.

And with friend of the blog Ricky O’Donnell taking the Western Illinois Leathernecks to new heights in College Hoops 2K8 and a person working for one of the worst organizations in sports media making a mockery of college football in NCAA Football 14, it’s high time we here at Alligator Army get back to our roots and head to the virtual arena.

I have a Twitch account, and I’ve done some test streams in recent weeks, so I know what I’m doing — at least, I sort of do when it comes to streaming off my Xbox One. I also own basically every relevant console and sports game of recent vintage you can think of — yes, including College Hoops 2K8 and NCAA Football 14, but also Bill Walsh College Football and others — and would be willing to do some modding or play with rosters if need be. My laptop’s new enough to probably pull off some PC gaming and streaming, too.

What I want to know from you, however, is whether you’d come watch streams of and/or follow along with a series about the next great Florida Gators quarterback and his first year(s) in the pros in Madden 20’s “Face of the Franchise: QB1” mode, or see what a team built from as many former Gators as possible can do in an NBA 2K installment, or something else. My current team in MLB The Show has some spiffy Florida threads, even, if we want to go there.

I have the time and wherewithal to do some streaming basically any night of the week, but I’m thinking Sunday nights — possibly in part of that window we’ve all been allocating to watching The Last Dance — make a lot of sense, and I’d happily get started this Sunday night if y’all are receptive. (And, hell, even if y’all don’t have the time to make it out to a stream, I’ll probably write about it anyway.)

But, yeah: Let me know. I’d love to do some stuff in this space and have fun with it.

And Tebow knows we could all benefit from seeing the Gators on the field again.