The Daily Gamecock

Goodwill Punting: The life, death and legacy of Frankentowel

What if I told you that a gothic monster was born from the abandoned rally towels of Williams-Brice. That each additional towel added to the monstrous chain breathed additional life into its being. That the "Frankentowel" vanished at halftime, like a fleeting myth. That no chain of towels can outrun the truth. 

That he was laid to waste in the carnage of spilled Coke, nacho trays and vomit.

Okay, maybe the phenomenon of "Frankentowel" — a massive chain of tied giveaway towels that spontaneously spanned the entire student section during South Carolina's home football game against UMass — won't ever warrant a "30 For 30" film. But the genesis of the gothic towel chain's creation is kind of an odd bit of folklore in the Gamecock fandom that will continue to live on. 

Three years from now, I think I will be more likely to remember "Frankentowel" than I will be to remember Deebo Samuel's ability to turn a short screen into a 47-yard gain. But why is that? 

In the press box, I heard a lot of jokes about how the mediocre on-field product wasn't enough to hold the student section's attention. That its creation was born out of boredom. That narrative reflects badly both on the team and the fans. 

But I don't quite see it like that. Our generation isn't hardwired to sit down and watch a sporting event as our sole activity. We scroll through social media and track our fantasy teams as we consume sports. In the comfort of our own homes, sometimes we watch two games at once. We have multiple screens. I don't think it's a problem; we are just accustomed to having so many ways of being entertained. 

It's not simply that our generation are worse sports fans or that our attention spans can't be held as easily. Thirty years ago, there were just fewer avenues when it came to entertainment. Fewer games were on television. There was no "RedZone," and highlights weren't littered throughout the internet and on social media. If an out-of-market game wasn't picked up as a national game of the week by a major cable network, you read about it in the newspaper. That's just not the reality today.

But with so many alternative ways of being entertained and with technology's enhancement of viewing sports at home, the concept of viewing a game in person has been devalued. Watching a game at home is more comfortable and convenient. 

So the student section's ability to engineer an additional way to be entertained that accompanied their viewing experience was fun to watch. Maybe even inspiring. It enhanced the game experience and allowed fans to work together as they scavenged for abandoned towels in the unoccupied areas of the section. As the chain grew farther and father, there was a noticeable buzz.

Now it remains to be seen if the towel-beast will ever be resurrected, although one would imagine it will be enraged over suddenly being neglected at halftime as it fell into disarray. 

My roommates forgot to claim tickets, but they knew that Jake Bentley threw for over 200 yards. They looked it up on their ESPN app. They weren't too bummed about missing K.C. Crosby's touchdown reception because they saw the highlights. But they didn't get to add their towel to feed "Frankentowel." They missed that. 


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