What I learned this season

Well for starters I learned, late in the season no less, that this would be a wasted season. I know, 9-3 is an admirable record, being ranked in the top twenty-five at the end of the regular season is something to be proud of, and going to a bowl is something many teams can only dream of.
However, we aren’t those teams. We are Alabama and as you walk around campus for the next week or so pay attention, you will see shirts emblazoned with “13” on it, or older ones that might say something like “Got Twelve? We do!” You might even see a plaque with an homage to the 99 SEC Championship season. What you will not see is an honor or memorial to any team who didn’t win a championship of some kind.
This is a program that demands best of the best status at all times. It may be illogical, but few of us would have it any other way. No championships = no memory. I’ll put it to you this way, a friend of mine and I were looking at a list on Bleacherreport.com that detailed its version of “The 50 Greatest Traditions in College Football.” Ohio State’s dotting of the I was number 1, Auburn was in the early twenties with their eagle flight, Ole Miss and the grove were in there, the Vol Navy, just to name a few of the SEC brethren. Alabama was not on the list, which didn’t upset me in the slightest, my friend however was slightly outraged. I asked him what tradition of ours should have been on there, he had no answer. My reply was “Because our greatest tradition is collecting championship trophies.”
We don’t care about a pet frolicking in the stadium, if the band can spell the team name correctly, if our tailgates are world renowned, or a lot of people show up in a boat to watch the game. These are trivial to us. We only want champions, and this season was a waste.

That being said I learned that I need to remember to say things such as the above in like company only. My mother works at the UAB football office and has become quite the fan, even going so far as to curse at the tv concerning a football play (you did NOT hear that from me). The other day I mentioned to my father, pre-iron bowl, “10-2 sounds so much better than 9-3.” He agreed and the matter dropped. A few minutes later my mother meekly stated “9-3 sounds so much better than 4-7” (UAB’s record at the time).
I felt bad, I won’t lie. Here I was in the land of milk and honey and complaining about the aftertaste while she was living off little more than blind hope that one day she’d get to follow UAB to a bowl. Sorry mom, I’ll keep that to a minimum in your presence from now on.

Come on next season!

The 23rd Psalm for Bama fans.

Since the last post was well received I’ve got another. This one I actually came up with a few years ago while in Knoxville to see Son Volt play. As I drove past Neyland Stadium with a friend of mine I reached in the back seat, pulled out a car flag and waved it as I said:

Saban is my coach, I shall not want.
He maketh me to cheer at top volume
He leadeth me beside the nation’s elite
He restoreth our tradition:
He leadeth me in the paths of championships for the Tide’s name sake

Yea though I walk through the valley of rivals
I shall fear no orange: For Nick art with me;
His hat and his scowl, they comfort me
He prepares a table before me in the presence Auburn and Tennessee
He annointest our team as dominant, our recruits runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow the Tide for all Saban’s days,
And I will dwell in the House of Champions forever.
Roll Tide.

Commandments

The 10... er 8 Commandments for Alabama Football Fans.

I couldn't think of 2 more.
1. Alabama is thy team
2. Thou shalt have no other team before Bama
3. Thou shalt not take Coach Bryant’s name in vain
4. Remember Gameday and keep it holy.
5. Honor thy coaches (unless they’ve proven to be idiots)
6. Thou shalt not wear orange
7. Thou shalt not cheer for auburn or tennessee (unless it helps Alabama)
8. Thou must make one pilgrimage to the holy stadium once in a lifetime

I just came up with this the other day and don't think I really have a place for it in my paper so the blog is now becoming the dump all for things I don't use.

Sacred Space and Football

Since we’ve been reading about sacred space and all I thought about my paper as the reading went on, how my topic fits in with religions and the sacred spaces created in them.
Alabama football is no different. From the statues that stand in the North Plaza of the stadium, to the Bryant Museum, to the crest in the floor of the locker room Alabama football is not short on sacred spaces.
The statues, indeed the North Plaza as a whole is set aside as a sacred space in Alabama football lore. The statues are larger than life towering over passersby, the walkway leading from University Blvd to the stadium (known to fans as the Walk of Champions) is covered with granite inlays paying tribute to every conference championship and national championship the team has in its history. Bear’s office in the Bryant Museum is roped off and left much like it would have if Bryant were still coach. My favorite, the Alabama seal in the floor of the locker room has its own rules, no single player can ever stand on the crest without a teammate with him.
I even have a shirt that talks about Bryant Denny with the words “This is true sacred ground… let us bow our heads and play!”
These spaces are sacred to fans because of the connections they give us to our collective past. To see those statues in some way affirms my fandom as a part of something greater than myself. To walk the path that the players take, to stand in the presence of Bear’s desk, to get chills at the sound of Bear’s voice booming thru the stadium give me a… well, a religious experience.

Need Help

So it's not class related but I'm doing some charity work by getting arrested to help MDA. Please check the link below and if you're wondering, yes, even a $5 donation would be a big help.
thanks,
Ryan

https://www.joinmda.org/tuscaloosa2010/ryan/

Better late than...

My internet has been down for the week so apologies for the lateness.

I have been reviewing Emma’s paper and it’s been a big help to me (though I make no claim that it will actually help her). In reading her paper I now realize just how bad mine is and have a better understanding as to what I need to do. So, thanks Emma for helping me to see more clearly what I need to do and I’m sorry I’m horrible at editing research papers and English in general.

My Thesis Statement is AWOL

I haven’t really decided how my thesis should go, at present the only thing I’m really coming up with is that college football should be regarded as a religion. I’m not saying it should get tax breaks and have holidays based on its “gods”, but that it should be regarded more seriously than just a sport or a game.
I understand that to a devout Christian, for instance, claiming that football is important to a person’s life might seem silly. But to a hardcore fan who also happens to be an atheist, learning about a guy who allegedly defied gravity and such seems equally silly.
To an extent I guess it’s somewhat about tolerance or respect. Some of my paper will deal with the amount of time, effort, energy, resources, etc that many fans choose to commit to college football.
I realize I’m going to need more for such a paper but at present that’s where I’m at.
Thought / feedback appreciated.