Growing up in Alabama, College Football loyalties and rivalries are important. Your team wins, and you have a whole year of bragging rights. They lose, and it’s a whole year of hearing about it.
I distinctly remember being around seven or eight years old, watching a Tennessee game in a hotel room with my Dad. Tennessee had scored and gone ahead. My Dad responded with a stream of expletives that predictably caused my mom to lecture him about the value of yelling at the TV.
This was a pretty common refrain in my childhood home. Passionate ranting directed at a TV, Followed by an equally passionate “lecture” from my Mom about yelling at the TV.
Then, in a moment of childish innocence, I wondered why it was worth it to yell at the TV when Tennessee scored. As I pondered, I decided to ask. So I faced my father and asked why he hated Tennessee so much and why we were yelling at the TV. He mumbled something about it being wrong to yell and setting a bad example, but then his face lit up as he explained the hatred of Tennessee.
“They’re liars and cheaters,” he responded before going on a rant about the Hatfields to our McCoys, The University of Tennessee, and Phillip (insert your favorite swear word here) Fulmer.
Weirdly enough, it all made sense Tennessee was the enemy. Our most hated rival, next to Auburn. It wasn’t just about hate it was about pride. As an Alabama fan, it was a matter of pride to hate Tennesse, Auburn, and, of course, LSU. It was a matter of pride to see the Crimson Tide steamroll your hated rivals and lord it over their fans.
Pride and commitment have seemed lacking in College Football in recent years. Players hop from university to university, transferring to rival schools in pursuit of playing time, recognition, and NIL money.
Even Nick Saban questioned the loyalty in the game. Saying on the Pat McAfee show last Wednesday, “The players are temporarily committed. That’s totally different than to be totally committed to the team and your performance.” Saban followed, “ These guys can be thinking about, well I’m not getting enough playing time, I’m not catching enough passes, where am I going to go next year.”
Then, flash forward to Rivalry Saturday, and for the first time, teams showed life and pride when it came to facing their rivals.
It started with upsets and surprise wins. Teams dropping games on their home fields, followed by College Football’s new trend of planting a flag on your recently defeated opponents’ logo.
It happened in the Ohio State and Michigan Game, Florida and Florida State, Arizona and Arizona State, and several more. The aftermath of almost every instance was a post-game brawl that commentators reacted to as if it had left a black eye on the sport itself.
Not to condone fighting in any way, shape, or form. But inside, as a fan of the game, I loved every second of it. Even the Iron Bowl had an in-game dust-up. As players across the country played with good old-fashioned hate.
In a day and age where we question the motivation of these guys to see them care about these programs the way the fans do was actually…. Endearing.
To see Ohio State linebacker Jack Sawyer echoing the feelings of Ohio State fans after pulling down the flag Michigan planted on the Buckeye logo, showed he felt the same as the fans.
Sawyer, who went winless against Michigan during his time in Columbus, was caught on video launching an expletive-laced tirade about Michigan trying to plant a flag on Ohio State's field.
To be clear fighting and cursing and all isn’t the appropriate way to handle a loss. Leave it all on the field, and be done with it after the fact. But still, it’s hard to be that mad seeing these guys actually care.