Alabama Football: A Vol claims Crimson Tide has bandwagon fans
By Ronald Evans
Henry To’o To’o’s exit from Knoxville to join Alabama Football irked many Tennessee fans. Message boards and social media have been filled with attacks on the young man, Jeremy Pruitt, Nick Saban and Crimson Tide fans.
Based on a brief survey of the Tennessee Vol responses, apparently, To’o To’o is at best an average football player, who will never rise above the Alabama Crimson Tide two-deep. If such claims prove accurate, it means the Tennessee Volunteers’ leading tackler last season is not good enough to start for the Crimson Tide.
To’o To’o played in 23 Tennessee football games, failing to start only once. Playing on a not very good Vols defense, To’o To’o was credited with 148 tackles in his Tennessee career, including 15 tackles for a loss. At the end of the 2019 season, he was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
Perhaps every college football fanbase has individuals quick to disparage players when they transfer away from a program. As we discussed weeks ago, the Vols program and its fans are desperate for any glimmer of hope. Not finding much hope to seize probably leads to efforts to tear down opposing players and programs.
Most of the social media chatter did not warrant comment, but one tweet stood out. In a give and take with what appeared to be an Alabama Football fan, a Tennesee fan implied the Tide follower was a bandwagon fan.
You know when Saban finally gets called home to Lucifer. You’ll be right back in the Schula, Price, Franchione DuBose days of Alabama football. But I’m assuming you don’t know who any of those coaches are because you started being an Alabama fan roughly around 2009.
— Shawn Finchum (@ShawnFinchum) May 9, 2021
Shawn is entitled to voice his opinion, and clearly, he has an intense one driven by dislike for Nick Saban and Alabama Football.
Alabama Football and Bandwagon Fans
Shawn’s opinion is generally insignificant to Alabama Crimson Tide fans. More interesting, is to consider the premise of whether Alabama Football ‘bandwagon fans’ actually exist. While there may be some, I certainly don’t know any. Even those Tide fans who came on board only the Saban era could be 14-plus year Tide fans. The most common understanding of a bandwagon situation applies to much shorter intervals of time.
There have been bleak periods for Alabama Football. During them, some level of Crimson Tide passion may have waned. Maybe there were Crimson Tide bandwagon fans who could not hold on during what I call the Alabama Football ‘Wildnerness Period’ from 1997 through 2006. The program was a mess and as we have discussed before, much of it was self-inflicted.
In the summer of 2007, Alabama author, Rick Bragg wrote about that year’s A-Day spring game. The master storyteller provided a great read. Every word can be savored but seven words told the story,
"And now has come a great revival."
Revival is exactly what Nick Saban unveiled on a spring Saturday in Tuscaloosa. The world of college football had never before seen what has now followed for 14 seasons.
What sometimes gets missed, particularly by opposing fans, is Alabama Football was great before Nick Saban. Under four extraordinary coaches, a Championship program was built so strong it could even survive a 10 season journey in the wilderness. Nick Saban revived the program and has taken it to its greatest height.
Next. Crimson Tide Dominance Valued and Hated. dark
The label ‘bandwagon fan’ has no meaning for college football’s greatest program ever. Tennessee fans don’t get it and that is understandable. How could they?