1. I am a unabashed member of the church of Alabama as Tarver characterizes Bama fans and their religious type zeal of fandom. Although I don’t have a soccer club that I follow, I guess I’m a minor purist fan of that sport. We moved to Alabama in 1995, for a year in Montgomery then to Tuscaloosa, where my wife started her graduate studies. Knowing that I was a College football fan she got me some seasons tickets for the 1998 season. I went to the University of Washington but it was tough to get to a Huskies game. Walking down the street to Bryant-Denny was easier. Compared to the west, southern football is out of control. Bama is no different. I’ve had seasons tickets since.
Warren St John’s book describes the 1989 season in less Philosophical terms.
Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer
After one Iron Bowl(Bama vs Auburn), in which Bama lost for the sixth time in a row, my daughter and I were enjoying a post game dinner at our place. A drunk student came in and announced that we should go to the fire Mike Shula.com web site. Shula was fired shortly there after by the way. After the student stumbled off, a pair of Auburn old timers in the table across from us laughed and said “We got those too.” We all laughed. Then to my horror my 12 year old daughter asked the Auburn guys, “What the heck does ‘War Eagle’ mean anyway?”. “ War Eagle” is the traditional Auburn greeting, their equivalent of “Roll Tide.” The Auburn old timers looked at each other and contemplated. I nervously awaited their response. One finally turned to us, “Hell we don’t know, what the hell does Roll Tide mean?” We all laughed at our silly rituals.
3. Traditionally Bama hates Auburn, Tennessee and LSU. I have come to dislike pretty much the entire SEC, maybe Vandy and Kentucky escape. That’s OK though, the entire SEC hates Bama.
4. Yes, but losing still sucks! I think most fans believe in the misquote from Lombardi, “Winning isn’t the most important thing, it’s the only thing.”
5, 6. I must admit I found Tarver’s focus on these two issues extremely off-putting. So much so that I put the book down to go work in the yard, that and the fact that my vocabulary is insufficient. After cooling down both emotionally and physically, it was really hot outside, I find that I can buy some of the racial aspects of mascotting particularly in the south in the major football powers. Although, at this point in the reading I believe her points are somewhat overstated. I’m less certain that sports fandom is a “means of creating and reinforcing social norms and values.” I may have missed that initiative at the perpetuate the white male patriarchy conference last summer but I may be mistaken. Sarcasm aside, Tarver is far better educated and smarter than I. I shall reserve judgement and see if she can convince. However, sometimes a diversion from the daily grind is just that, no matter how devoted one is to it.
Chapter 2.
2. Sports have built in drama, the last second shot, the made or missed last second field goal, a goal in soccer:). Unlike other things in life a person may go a lifetime and not witness, MLK in front of the Lincoln memorial or a Gettysburg address. So if you follow a team long enough or go to enough events, the likelihood is that you’ll get caught up in something special.
4. Historically, yes. But I think Tarver’s analysis of sports knowledge as a discriminator that is used to exclude the less informed and by extrapolation, women is becoming less and less relevant. The era of the sports knowledge bully is ending due to those little rectangular things we all carry around with us. A person who dedicates his life to memorizing things that can be referenced in seconds on a phone is more and more a geek and someone terribly wasting their time. Nick Saban and Kirby Smart get paid a lot of money to figure things out. A person following the second by second the operation of a team is again wasting their time. If I need to look at the depth chart I’ll bring it up on my phone. If some one asks me what’s up at Bama, I’ll check out the news. Even the obnoxious sports argument shows on ESPN and the radio are less and less relevant. In short, it’s a rapidly changing environment in sports fandom as it is everywhere else due to technological advances. If the mechanism of sports knowledge as a means of subordinating women is vanishing, so is the subordination of women, at least by this means.
4. Re: Lombardi. That may be a way to motivate players and excite fans but it's an execrable philosophy of life, from the point of view of those who share Grantland Rice's perspective on "how you play the game." We don't teach our children to think and act as though winning is all that matters, most of us. The most unpleasant people in the world are those who castigate and mock "losers"... if you know who I mean.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, I think he denied ever saying that, but as a hard nosed coach it’s easy to imagine him doing so.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Wikipedia he "intended" to say the WILL to win is the only thing. I don't think that's much better. The will to play honorably and to exemplify the highest standards of humane sportsmanship while giving your best effort would be, but I guess that's not as inspiring to most.
Delete"The quotation is widely, but wrongly attributed to American football coach Vince Lombardi, who probably heard the phrase from UCLA coach Sanders.[3] Lombardi is on record using the quotation as early as 1959 in his opening talk on the first day of the Packers’ training camp.[3] The quotation captured the American public's attention during Lombardi's highly successful reign as coach of the Packers in the 1960s. Over time, the quotation took on a life of its own. The words graced the walls of locker rooms, ignited pre-game pep talks... According to the late James Michener's Sports in America, Lombardi claimed to have been misquoted. What he intended to say was "Winning isn't everything. The will to win is the only thing." However, Lombardi is on record repeating the original version of the quotation on several occasions."
Alabama’s post game cheer the “Rammer Jammer” is a definite rub their noses in it ritual. Back in an earlier era I think most people took it in stride and thought no problem we got our song too, payback will be fun. In the modern era where people seem to be more on edge the University is tying to ween the fan base off of such traditions. They’ve banned other songs that are derisive, but bucking tradition on the Rammer Jammer will be difficult.
ReplyDeleteWell, Mr. Rice wrote his famous paean to sportsmanship decades ago. I think there's probably always been a split between those who take such behavior in stride, and those who think we can do better. But banning songs is not the answer.
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