Partisan? Well... Not Me!
Here is a humorous piece concerning the rabid partisanship of College football fans, called Alabama, the Unbeatable. At 3:30 this Saturday afternoon, two unbeaten teams will play football. Looking objectively, it should be a good game. Kentucky has been a quality team for the last several years, and comes into the game with the best defense in the nation. Alabama is 5-0, having convincingly beaten two top ten teams along the way. Darrell Cartwright, the writer, finds it impossible to consider this to be a challenging match between two very good teams because of the absolute confidence of the Alabama fans that their team will prevail. They offer excuses for every conceivable possibility that might hint otherwise. To crystallize his point, Cartwright offers the following:
At one point I tracked the Alabama fan predictions of the Kentucky v. Alabama game at the excellent Alabama Scout.com website. I stopped after the first 34 predictions all predicted an Alabama win, with none of them by less than double digits. The average score? Alabama 42 Kentucky 12.
Probably most people who read this cannot comprehend the depth of devotion and absolute partisanship on the part of a Southern College football fan. I lived in Michigan for about five years, and they indeed were serious about their team, and regularly filled the stadium with 100,000 fans. But their support seemed, to me, more civilized and surface. They did not seem to eat, sleep, and breath football. Where I am from, everybody in the state has been forced by culture to declare allegiance. Alabama or Auburn? Here in Georgia, it is a little less crazy, but not much. A fine man, who is a friend and fellow church member, goes by the name of Coach. For years he was the head basketball coach of a local High School. He is from Alabama and is a Crimson Tide fan. He told me there came a point in his life when he realized he absolutely must temper his support for his favorite team. They lost a big football game, and he was physically ill for several days! I know it sounds crazy, but I am sure it is a scenario repeated many thousands of times whenever the great Tide loses.
I will be watching the game, and I very much want my favorite team to win. I never attended the University of Alabama, having graduated from Samford University. But the majority of the most devoted fans never even attended a College. Heck, a good bit of them never even graduated from High School. Such does not matter- it is a cultural phenomenon. I think I know why College football in the South is every bit a matter of religious zeal for many of the fans, and perhaps I will write about it in a future post.
Now, I am listening to Fox News wax eloquently about how Sarah Palin demolished her opponent in the Vice Presidential debate. In a few minutes I will turn over to MSNBC and hear about how superior was the effort of Joe Biden. Both will be earnest and fervent in their assessments, and absolutely partisan.
Of course, Palin won the debate. And Alabama will whip Kentucky on Saturday.
10.02.08 (11:51 pm) [
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posted by:
madmel :) (
reply)
post date:
10.02.08 (9:12 pm)
GO BIG BLUE!! C-A-T-S! CATS CATS CATS!!!
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
10.02.08 (9:16 pm)
Reply to: madmel :)
You've won 4 games. You've had a good run, and now it is time to get back to reality. I'm afraid the Tide will put a big whippin' on the Big Blue. Of course, that is a non-partisan, absolutely objective point of view.
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
10.03.08 (4:23 am)
I thought she did very well - far better than I thought she'd do, but as her winning? Don't think so. I kept wondering how even an expert translator would do conveying her message to someone who speaks something other than English. Maybe I'm a snob, but I'm tired of cringing every time I listen to the leader of the free world make off the cuff remarks. I'd really love to have someone at the top (and the near-top) who uses sentences with subjects and verbs ordered correctly. I'm not saying I didn't understand her last night, but jeez... And it's not an "Alaska" thing either. It wasn't her accent or even the folksy stuff - that's fine - but... I mean, could she at least learn to say nuclear correctly?
Sorry Mel, I'm thinking it's the Tide's time to roll.
posted by:
beaverteeth (
reply)
post date:
10.03.08 (11:19 am)
I being a season ticket holder am in the act of getting it together and heading for old Bama . First to the N.E. corner and hit a high school game wit Curtis and Pop and then to Tuscaloosa with my little bro tomorrow.It should be some good entertainment not only the game but watching the fans.ROLL TIDE!!!! And by the way Palin won the debate in my opinion just because she is kind of hot in a libraian/ school teacher kind of way.
posted by:
beaverteeth (
reply)
post date:
10.03.08 (11:42 am)
I being a season ticket holder am in the act of getting it together and heading for old Bama . First to the N.E. corner and hit a high school game wit Curtis and Pop and then to Tuscaloosa with my little bro tomorrow.It should be some good entertainment not only the game but watching the fans.ROLL TIDE!!!! And by the way Palin won the debate in my opinion just because she is kind of hot in a libraian/ school teacher kind of way.
posted by:
bawdy (
reply)
post date:
10.03.08 (11:43 am)
Many of these southern states don't have major league football, baseball or basketball, so college football is the biggest game in town.
posted by:
(
reply)
post date:
10.03.08 (11:44 am)
now you know about my Alabama education by the double post.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
10.03.08 (1:35 pm)
Reply to: beaverteeth
Librarian/school teacher kind of way? I understand!
So, you remember Coach Beaverteeth, I presume? I wonder if he is still coaching somewhere out on Sand Mountain?
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
10.03.08 (1:38 pm)
Reply to: bawdy
Good point. But, College football is not nearly the draw in many of the Midwestern states, with the same demographics. I think it has to do with having something that gives you a sense of pride, something with which you can look toward the rest of the country and say, you may consider yourself superior in many ways, but we can sure beat your tail in football!
posted by:
(
reply)
post date:
10.03.08 (3:52 pm)
I'm so sick of Alabama football and Georgia football. Let me say it again, I'm SO sick of Alabama football and Georgia football.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
10.03.08 (7:25 pm)
Reply to: ???
Obviously, you are not a True Believer
posted by:
auntconi (
reply)
post date:
10.03.08 (7:48 pm)
Roll Tide!!!
posted by:
bawdy (
reply)
post date:
10.04.08 (12:55 pm)
Reply to: PastorDave
That's true about the midwest. Its citizens generally seem to be more reserved by nature, while the south breeds good old boy rednecks who love hunting, fishing, beer, football and NASCAR.
posted by:
bob (
reply)
post date:
10.06.08 (3:19 pm)
Go Wildcats
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
10.06.08 (3:25 pm)
Reply to: bob
Uh, Bob, it's over. Your side lost. Although, barely!
