Monday, December 4, 2017

FAMILY FEUD-ALABAMA STYLE


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)