The beach trips have ended, the summer camps have wrapped up, and school is back in session. Even though I am going to miss the white sand and crystal-clear water of the Florida beaches, I can still get excited for this: the 2025-2026 Ragin’ Cajun athletic season is here! The season officially kicked off a few weeks ago when Ragin’ Cajuns Women’s Soccer defeated Lamar by the score of 4-1 followed by Fall Fan Day at Blackham Coliseum where fans got the chance to meet their favorite Cajun student athletes and coaches. And there is more to come this week when we will see Ragin’ Cajuns Volleyball tip off for three matches at Earl K. Long Gym as well as the Ragin’ Cajuns Football team kicking their season off at the new Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium against the Rice Owls out of the American Conference.

For me, the beginning of the athletic season is the start of something new. We may be in the month of August, and 2025 may be starting to near its end; but this time of year also brings anticipation and expectations for all of our favorite sports teams. It’s like a sports version of Spring. For fans in this area of South Louisiana, there’s a lot of unanswered questions that we have right about now:

-Will my high school team make the playoffs and how far will they go?

-What will the Saints look like this year with a new head coach?

-Will Cajuns Soccer improve from last season?

-Can Cajuns Volleyball overcome last year’s injury bug and show their full potential in front of a passionate crowd at Earl K. Long Gym?

-Will Cajuns Football once again compete for the Conference title?

-How on Earth did Ragin Review make it all the way to Season 8?

Yes, these are questions we will all look forward to seeing answered very soon. But I must say that I also enjoy conversing about these topics because there’s always a small sense of optimism about them. When a team is 0-0, it creates a sense of comfort knowing that anything can happen. It also allows us to share our thoughts and opinions on where we think our teams should and will end up. We talk about it through text messages, phone calls, conversations in coffee shops, bars, restaurants, and even on the back patio of someone’s home. Then comes the planning. I am sure some of you are looking at the Cajuns football schedule and trying to decide if you want to buy season tickets or choose a few games to attend. Maybe some of you are trying to plan a road trip to an away game. Or how about synchronizing your Sunday schedule so you can attend a Cajuns soccer game while also having the luxury of watching a Saints game afterward? Maybe you want to start your weekend off right by leaving work on Friday afternoon and drive straight to Earl K. Long gym for a volleyball game. And let’s make sure none of this interferes with family time. Or do you bring the entire family with you and make it an event? And then once the season officially starts, we become our own version of a sports analyst. We break down the games based on what we witnessed and experienced. We discuss the direction on where our team is headed based on results, injuries, or coaching decisions. And from there, we hope for the best the rest of the way to where it becomes cyclic.

As Cajun fans, we always expect the best results even with a little sense of funny pessimism from time to time when things don’t go our way which always makes for good banter and laughs. Around here, we call that “Cajuns Derangement Syndrome” or simply, “CDS” for short. For the next ten months, we will hear both the good takes and bad takes of what our fans have to say. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve talked with fellow Cajun fans who think the world is ending if something doesn’t go our way while, on the other hand, another fan right next to them will simultaneously say that we will be in the hunt for a conference championship or postseason appearance. And it happens in just about every sport that the Cajuns compete in. But here’s the kicker. Our fans do have one thing in common: passion. You see, passion creates interest. It keeps people involved even if they disagree with one another. When people stop showing passion in our teams, apathy kicks in. That is why I look forward to the upcoming agreements and disagreements this athletic season because I know the passion will be there.    

All in all, I expect this to be a fun season for Cajun fans everywhere. And man I tell you what it’s going to fly by. Right now, I am sitting here with the excitement of watching our football team kick off in our new stadium. Before you know it, we will be in the month of April wondering what the postseason projections look like for baseball and softball. So enjoy every moment, Cajun Nation. But be sure to make your plans now as you look at your calendars for upcoming games because once the season is fully underway, it’s ten straight months of non-stop fun.