How things have changed?
Nowadays, when a Big 10 team heads to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl, its a few hours on a plane from the mid west to get there. Just imagine how long it took Michigan to get to Pasadena in 1902 for the first game that would become the whole Rose Bowl legend? I would guess about 3 days or so, by train, each way? For what was technically 60 minutes of football, wow!
Incredibly, that game didnt even last 60 minutes, as Stanford gave up when losing 49-0, at some point in the 3rd quarter! Since then, with the exception of a few early years, and 1942, when the game moved East due to the threat of Japanese attack during WW2, its been going ever since.
Most of that time, its been the Pac 10 (or earlier related conference) against the Big 10 (or related conference), champion against champion. In recent times, when champions have been involved in Championship games, other teams have stood in, and a couple of times, the Rose Bowl has hosted said championship, or qualifier for it, but generally…
The famous stadium itself has only been around since 1923, mind. Yes, I know, thats still a long time! Hard to imagine what we would have made of a game back then, when passing the ball was a very rare event indeed! Equally, what those fans, and players would make of the current game, hard to imagine?
But yes, just imagine, if you’d told those Michigan players, heading west in 1902, that they were going to play in a game that would become part of history, they probably would have laughed at you! Ah well…
Yes, I’ve been to Pasadena, but I havent seen the Rose Bowl yet. Maybe in May?
Right, the video. Normally this game, by tradition takes place on New Years Day. Except when it happens on a Sunday, when the NFL takes priority in modern times. So yes, in just over half an hour from writing this, the game will happen. Just think, that first game, no TV, no radio coverage, you had to be there to see, or hear it! But yes, for its traditional date, this very early piece of U2 seems apt.
stevielounicks 
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