kp, I was a kid in the midwest. I hadn't yet heard of Alabama and the Bear. If I had at that age, as dominant as they were, I probably wouldn't have liked them either. My dad was a Purdue alum. I cheered for everything Purdue. including the great QB, Len Dawkins. Even post Leahy, Notre Dame always beat Purdue, or so it seemed, so I didn't like Notre Dame. By the time I got to HS, my Irish Catholic mother had convinced me that ND wasn't so bad. When I visited the campus, I became a fan, then a student.
Sid, just kidding, although I don't think Alabama has many fans outside of Alabama right now.😉
I've always respected, even liked, Alabama's sports programs.....as an adult. Back in the 80s when on a family spring break vacation, I met a couple of younger (30s) guys in Alabama's administration, an assistant AD and a guy in charge of intramural sports. It was at at a Twins' spring game in Ft. Myers. They would use their vacation time traveling to minor league ball parks around the country. They knew a lot about MLB players they had seen in the minors. A year later, they contacted me and said they were coming to Ft. Wayne. I shared my season tickets with them and took them out to dinner afterward. They were great guys, both single, living their dream. I fell out of contact with them and can't remember their names, but I've always remembered them fondly, and for that reason alone I like Alabama.
I have not watched the NFL much this season due to the idiots kneeling during the salute to the flag. However I did watch the last two weeks of the playoffs and will watch the Super Bowl. Not nearly with as much enthusiasm as in the past.