Athens was painted orange in honor of Joe Burrow playing in Super Bowl LVI. Banners hung in front of local establishments, and houses were filled with residents on the edge of their seats. Locals and students alike were basking in a sense of positive connectivity that can only be felt on special occasions.
But the feeling soon faded.
The Cincinnati Bengals suffered a last-minute 23–20 loss, and the hometown hero had been defeated in Los Angeles. Students walked out of the bars with their heads hung low but, across the highway in The Plains, one person walked with their head held high.
Robin Barnes, a 30-year resident of Athens, made the trek from her house to Joe Burrow Stadium on Sunday night. She hoisted a large drawing of an orange tiger lily with the number nine painted on it in the air as she walked up the drive. Pride radiated off Barnes.
Barnes had never watched Burrow play when he attended Athens High School. Her son had graduated a few years before Burrow, but that didn’t stop her from being invested in the Super Bowl.
Barnes had watched the beginning half of the game at her mother’s house in Coshocton, Ohio. The feeling of watching someone from Athens play on the big screen was mixed. Barnes felt her superstitions rise with each play.
“I had a lot of feelings,” Barnes said. “I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I shouldn’t be in the living room anymore because last time I was in the living room, the other team scored.’”
Barnes had time to digest her feelings as she drove home to The Plains. At the same time, she listened to the game on the radio. It was about the time she got home that the Bengals had accepted defeat.
But to Barnes, nothing about Sunday’s game was a defeat. Everything about it was a victory. The impact Burrow continues to have on Athens is a victory to her.
Burrow’s impact began in 2019 during his Heisman Trophy acceptance speech when he brought light to the issues Southeastern Ohio faces. From there, the Joe Burrow Hunger Relief Fund was established to support the operations of the Athens County Food Pantry. The fund was established with $350,000 of gifts inspired by the speech.
Businesses across Ohio, such as Dorothy Lane Market in Dayton, are still donating to the cause. Dorothy Lane Market announced it will spend the month of February collecting suggested donations of $9 at its registers for the Joe Burrow Hunger Relief Fund through its Good Neighbor Good Deeds Program.
It was those good deeds that inspired Barnes to post on her Facebook page after the loss, encouraging Athens residents to join her in celebration at the stadium.
“A lot of people, they find out what they have in their cupboards that are ready to be expired, or they find stuff that’s already expired, and they put it in (the donations),” Barnes said. “That’s not what’s happening with Joe.”
Burrow brought individuals of all backgrounds together to lift the people of Athens higher. They had always had pride and love but, now, it was on a national scale.
Athens has rallied around its hometown hero throughout all of his success, but Sunday night, Barnes was the only one at the stadium to give her thanks to the man who cast a broader light on their community. She stood outside the gates of the victory bell to wait for others to join her, but no one did.
Cars had driven by before Barnes arrived, but no one took the time to stop and show their appreciation like she did.
“Even though we didn’t win tonight, I just want to show that we are still supportive,” Barnes said.
The lights were off in the stadium, but that didn’t matter. There’s still a light on Athens so long as Burrow introduces himself as "Joe Burrow, Athens High School."
