I learned two things about myself last weekend: I'm "tiger bait," and I never want to go back to Baton Rouge.
It didn't matter if it was before, during or after the game, LSU fans were going to taunt me. And 99 percent of the time it was with two words: tiger bait.
My previous trip to Baton Rouge, which was for the 2007 game, didn't allow me the full effect because we arrived late and left immediately after the game. With that said, I was excited to experience a gameday on LSU's campus.
We arrived early enough Saturday to tailgate and get an idea of what Baton Rouge is all about. In hindsight, I wish I had just believed the stereotypes and stayed in Auburn.
There weren't any urine bombs thrown in my direction, nor was I physically harmed. However, I think the standard for verbal harassment is set by Bayou Bengal fans.
Every fanbase has fans who talk trash; that's a given. But when two boys who couldn't have been more than 10 years old were yelling "tiger bait" at me on my way to the stadium, I realized what I was getting myself into.
Judge if you want, but my friends and I left the game in the middle of the third quarter. The initial plan was to avoid traffic, but we ended up on a tour of campus after a few wrong turns walking back to the car.
On the walk, which stretched probably a mile, we were harassed by LSU fans of every kind.
I wasn't surprised by college students celebrating in the way LSU students do, but I was stunned when I found myself being yelled at by grown men. And guess what they almost all yelled? "Tiger bait."
Clearly the fanbase doesn't have anything else to say to opposing fans. Either way, it made its point.
A few fans got creative, though, and there was one comment that caught my attention, and I felt crossed the line.
"How's your tree?" asked one student.
The level of disrespect left me speechless.
Ultimately, the trip made me realize how great Auburn is.
Here, we may talk trash, but most fans are more interested in celebrating our victories than reminding others of their defeat.
Maybe we aren't known for being one of the hardest places to play in the nation, but we also don't have people refusing to visit our town because of the way numerous people treated them.
We also may not be 8-0 and No. 1 in the country, but we haven't had players suspended for failing drug tests and fighting at bars either.
Maybe I'm a sore loser or making excuses for our 5-3 season, but, at the end of the day, I'd much rather be an Auburn Tiger than anything else, because we have class.
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