Bruce Pearl Says Americans Need To Love The USA Like Fans Love Their Teams
The former Auburn coach told OutKick the Final Four crowd in Indy looked like the unity the country needs.
Former Auburn head basketball coach Bruce Pearl said Americans should take a lesson from March Madness and learn how to love their country as much as they love their favorite teams.
Pearl joined OutKick's "Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich" on Wednesday and said the energy surrounding the Final Four in Indianapolis reminded him of something he believes the country has lost: a shared sense of passion, loyalty and gratitude.
"We used to love our country as much as we loved Indiana football winning the national championship this year," Pearl said. "We used to love our country and while we would always be critical of our coaches or whatever ... we always sort of got on the same page. We showed up, we supported."
Pearl noted that fans and alumni from the competing schools descended on Lucas Oil Stadium, proudly donning their team's colors and cheering with everything they had. To Pearl, the scene represented more than just college basketball fandom. It was a reminder of what it looks like when people rally around something larger than themselves.
"I just want people to look at what happened at the Final Four in Indianapolis and all those fans from Michigan, all those fans from Illinois and UConn and the way they all showed up," Pearl said. "And just the passion, we used to feel that way about our country. ... We need to find a way to get that passion back and that gratefulness."
Bruce Pearl tells OutKick that Final Four passion should remind Americans to show more pride and gratitude for their country.
(Bob Donnan/Imagn Images)
This is larger than just college basketball, too. Sports has always been a unique unifier, bringing together people of all backgrounds to support a common cause. That's been missing in the United States over the past several years. The sad part is that the Final Four, like many sporting events, showed that Americans still know how to rally together.
The problem is that they aren't doing it for the U.S. flag as much anymore.