God, help this state.
My brother and I are exact opposites. He is older--I am younger. He likes vanilla--I adore almost everything covered in chocolate. I go to Auburn--he graduated from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and Bama, in case you haven't heard, is on its way to a possible 14th national championship.
Oh, you have heard that? A lot? You're reminded of it every day?
I don't think I'm the only one who knew Auburn wasn't going to be spectacular this season, but hey, we did leaps and bounds better than I expected, and I only know the bare minimum to get me through a game.
So I say "War Eagle" anyway. We'll get them next year. But what I can't stand is drowning in the Tide ... the fans of the Crimson Tide that is.
Hours after the Iron Bowl, I looked up the latest story on al.com. From this endeavor I now know the majority of people on that site are registered under a username with 'bama,' 'tide,' 'bear' or 'Saban', or some combination of the four.
What made my stomach churn was the seven (yes, seven) pages of comments disparaging Auburn.
Online comment sections as a whole make me want to pursue a lifestyle in the woods that Thoreau would put into a novel, but I am still amazed at how people simply drop the label of 'human' and let their absolute worst come out over a game.
I'm not saying Alabama doesn't deserve to do well at football--it's kind of their thing.
I'm also well aware of Auburn's contingency of obnoxious fans. I was even appalled to learn some were comparing the Toomer's poisonings to the Tuscaloosa tornado.
But I'm talking about a normal day, if there is such a thing anymore.
You'd think after everything that's happened we could all just shake hands and say, "Good game."
No. It's never that simple.
It's as if after a Bama victory in the Iron Bowl that the universe is now realigned after some great wrong had occurred. Or as if a crime had been committed and justice had been served with every houndstooth hat thrown on high. But cheering when the other team's man is lying on the field in pain? You guys have no shame.
I was absolutely disgusted watching the ESPN documentary on the Iron Bowl, especially at how much time they spent playing phone calls to the Paul Finebaum Show. It's amazing to hear how many people completely devote themselves to a school they never went to.
Wait, I forgot. Anytime a smudge might appear on the spotless record of the Bama Nation, I'm supposed to remember that this is not how true, classy Bama fans are in real life.
Really?
For one thing, I'm so sick of the word 'classy' I could spit.
Secondly, if I'm to believe all these people aren't what true Bama fans are about, I'm beginning to think Alabama has no true fans at all. Not surprising. Look what happens when you lose one game--you're ready to punt the kicker out of the state, pun intended.
So what is it to you? A game? A university? Or your only source of pride?
Yes, I believe in Auburn, and love it. Whether we win or lose, I'd rather be a student cheering on a team that's part of a family, than a fan cheering on a coach whose name is only one letter away from the devil's.
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