This time of the year I don’t think
there is a state in the union that is more divided than the state of
Alabama. I’m not talking about politics, I’m not talking about a
flag or a monument, I’m talking about football. You are for the right team or
you’re rooting for the wrong team. Now which team that is I’ll
let you the reader decide. I’m sure those of you reading this
will be just as divided as everyone else in this great state.
There have been two perennial
powerhouse football teams in this state long before I was born. The
rivalry is older than I am and this month I will be a half-a-century
old. There have already been bad blood between fans of the two
schools. I’ve heard the University of Alabama be called the school
of convicts and I’ve heard Auburn called a cow college (correct
me if I’m wrong but I think that phrase was made famous by none
other than Paul “Bear” Bryant himself).
Those of you that are not from this
state or may be passing through while on your way to Florida or the
Gulf Coast vacationing don’t be surprised that you’ll see more
vehicles with an ‘Alabama/Auburn-House Divided’ car tag on the
front than one with a rebel flag on it. Many Alabamians are very
proud of their southern heritage but we are just as proud, if not
more, of the heritage of our favorite football team whether it's the Alabama Crimson Tide or the Auburn Tigers.
Want to make it worse? Let both teams
have a successful season with championship implications on the line.
That’s like building a fire with wood and then throwing an old
rubber tire on top of the blaze. It can get really hot really fast.
Now that we have that, let’s throw something even worse in the mix,
or on the fire if you will. Let’s add social media. And that is
just like a fire that was started but now you have a hot fire with an
old rubber tire on it and now you decide to go ahead and throw
gasoline on the flame as well. Naturally it burns bright. As a
matter of fact it burns so bright everyone in the nation is looking
and watching the fire burn.
Oh yea, we have our differences between
whether to vote Democrat or Republican but that can be forgiven. We
might fight and fuss over whose young’un started it first but that
too can be forgiven. But if you pull for the “wrong” team I’m
not so sure that’s forgivable.
Since social media has been added to
the mix I have never in my life seen so much animosity toward each
other. I knew it was bad, especially when you have people killing
each other and destroying property over a ball game. But now you
have people, friends and family that are deleting and blocking others
simply by what the other said. If I was to keep score I would have
the say the devil has one and the football fans have zero. I’ve
read quite a few comments with pictures and I think many of them are
funny. Some of them are toward the team I root for and some against.
To me it’s just a game. Win, lose,
tie or draw it’s just a game. I don’t like it when my team
loses but I take it, congratulate the others and move on. I don’t
dwell on it, I don’t get mad and blow up and tear something up or
take it out on someone or something else. I just move on. You as an
individual, as a friend or family are far, far more important to me
than any ball game. And if I’m your friend, and especially my
family, I hope you love me more than a ball game as well. Poke fun
at me if my team loses, I’ll poke fun at you if my team wins. But
at the end of the day you are still more important and I love you
more.
I have one question: Do you worship
the team you root for? If it gets to your emotions so much that you
wish evil on another, you hate and despise another, you wish harm to
another, you end a friendship because of the other then that team has
become your god.
And if it seem evil unto you to
serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the
gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the
flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as
for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15
KJV)
