For me, also a 55+ year fan since my Grandfather (a sidewalk fan) taught me the words to Ramblin Wreck as a small boy, it comes down to GT maximizing my pleasure. I love going to football games (32 year season ticket holder), I love we have a MNC since uga has (and I was there for all but two games), I still have a warm glow from the Cremmins years when I had Bball season tickets and was in Charlotte in 1990 when we won the championship, I love playing Clemson and winning more than our fair share, I love the baseball games I get to go to and that we share the record for most ACC baseball titles with only about 35 years in the conference, I love that I've been to the Orange Bowl twice in the last 7 seasons. In my lifetime, I've seen Tech take Clemson, FSU, ND, Miami, uga, Auburn, and a bunch more factories to the woodshed and beat the hell out of them.
I love the fact that no matter the challenge I received when still working, Tech had prepared me. I love knowing GT dragged out and developed (very painfully) every bit of mathematical, technical, and scientific talent that I had inside me. I loved hearing my father introduce me as, "This is my son. He went to Tech."
I love reading the university rankings and seeing Tech's name prominent and uga's not. We are living in a Golden Age of Engineering, and Tech is one of the best in the country at Engineering. I get to strut around town in my Tech t-shirt like I'm some sort of engineering genius, when I would not come close to getting in today.
But the thing I love most is that I have steered 2 nieces and a nephew to Tech. The nieces married Tech men. They are all much more successful than I was at their age. They will be rich and happy barring catastrophe, and they love football games. I love that my extended family has come to me to talk about what Tech is and how to get their kids in.
So when I add up all of those elements, I thank the BOR for making calculus mandatory (if they did) to hurt Tech athletics because like most dawg plans it backfired to Tech's benefit. Bama and all the other factories can stuff it because I have the best of all worlds.