There are traditions integral to the sport of college football. There is Touchdown Jesus at Notre Dame and Chief Osceola planting the spear at Florida State. Army and Navy sing their alma maters after the annual rivalry game, and Miami runs out through the smoke.
But when College Football is played in Atlanta, we get the cow blimp.
Encroaching air cow. Alabama marching band, for equal measure. pic.twitter.com/7KsS2ifQGy
— Keri Potts (@MsPotts_ESPN) December 31, 2016
Alarms were raised before this year’s Peach Bowl Playoff semifinal when it seemed that the blimp had been replaced in an unfortunate nod to capitalism. Had Goodyear’s checkbook won the day?
Devastating news. The cow blimp isn't here for the semifinal version of the @CFAPeachBowl. pic.twitter.com/JxRoKdrmux
— Barrett Sallee (@BarrettSallee) December 31, 2016
No. No it had not.
Halftime #cowblimp pic.twitter.com/gRxGwEInqT
— Barrett Sallee (@BarrettSallee) December 31, 2016
In fact, the blimps raced at one point, and guess which blimp won?
A blimp race has broken out at @CFAPeachBowl. The cow has an insurmountable lead. pic.twitter.com/YNuVuWd8x1
— Cory McCartney (@coryjmccartney) December 31, 2016
It’s also not exclusive to the Peach Bowl. Chick-Fil-A’s kickoff classic also features the blimp.
Dude...I'm up higher than the freaking cow blimp....#nosebleed pic.twitter.com/hKF0RjjQ
— Larry Henry (@lespesci) September 1, 2012
Oh, look. A cow riding a blimp. #mooforce1 pic.twitter.com/QYCi6vchKW
— Michele Garlotte (@DMGarlotte) August 31, 2013
The cow blimp has been known to drop Chick-Fil-A coupons to the masses, a benevolent bovine wonder in the sky doling out Georgian manna from heaven. Thank you cow blimp for all you’ve done to make college football in Atlanta special.