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Somebody is making a lot of money on these tee shirts, so I hope it's the students. The real story of these two teams is far different...IMHO. There isn't any rivalry or hatred here that I've been able to detect. Neither side really knows much about the other and what little they know is probably wrong. The clash of cultures shouldn't have much effect on the game, because both teams appear very similar on paper...
JO'Co, I don't know about the Notre Dame side but I think on the Alabama side, I think there is Resentment/Respect thing going on. Most long time Alabama fans, know the historical aspect to Notre Dame's football program but they have also watched over the years at the attention Notre Dame gets nationally...and they resent it. Alabama has had a lot of great players and until recently no Heisman trophies. It also seems as if given the opportunity, the national media will favor covering Notre Dame football over covering Alabama football. Having said all of that, the longtime Alabama fans know that Notre Dame is one of the few schools with a history of football excellence as long and noteworthy as Alabama's. There is no pro football in Alabama and the teams that are close don't seem to be able to really connect here. Anyway, that is the viewpoint from the long term Alabama fan, now the fair weather fans are like johnny-come-lately's everywhere, which means usually immature acting.
Notre Dame gets the national attention and the national TV contract primarily because they play a national schedule, coast to coast. Most everybody else plays a regional schedule, rarely leaving their own time zone. Secondly, they are a small, Catholic school... a fraction of the size of almost all of their opponents. Lastly, they know how to market all of the above.
:wink: Sounds like ALabama should hire a better PR person to me or just live with it.... maybe Mark Cuban should move a team in there for them. but is there a market and can he make money doing it.....
Alabama makes quite a bit of money. Their merchandising and advertising revenue is most certainly among the top shelf of college football. It's a growing state. It's a growing market. It's surrounded by New Orleans, Nashville and Atlanta so that keeps pro sports and their ******** monopolistic tv contracts from every seriously considering this place. I'd wager a significant portion of the Tennessee Titan fans are Alabamians who live North of Birmingham...and for people in Alabama to root for anything Tennessee related, should go to show you just how starved the area is for it. I've been collecting pictures of game shirts to send to my dad from the area here, but I've been to sick to sit down and send them off. I think KP's description of Alabama fans is absolutely spot on btw.
I've always respected and admired the Alabama program. I once knew a couple of guys who worked for the university. One was an asst. SID and the other was in charge of intramural sports. They were class guys. It's been over 15 years since we've had any contact. I'm aware of the resentment over the final 1966 rankings. If the shoe was on the other foot, I'd feel the same way. We could have been in the same position this season if Oregon and/or K-State had not lost. Corey, take care of yourself and get better in time for the game.
I was describing where the Alabama fans frame of mind comes from, not complaining. I don't think we need or want a better PR man. Alabama has tried to play at least one top 10 team (at the time they play at least) at the start of the season for the last 5 or 10 years at least before diving into the conference schedule. As for myself, I am fine with our current situation. I was not a big fan of Saban when he was hired but he has brought a lot of discipline to the team and of course winning helps. He has a lot of rough edges but then again, alot of sports writers are idiots and he doesn't put up with stupid questions. Anyway, this should be a great game and there are alot of emotions tied up in it, at least from the Alabama side. I am really looking forward to it.
I have nothing but respect for those guys in the Alabama athletic dept. From the SID to the AD to the compliance director. They have a tough job. They have a legion of the classiest fans (who are a bit crazy, but that's fine..glass houses and all)... Then they have this small, militant, bat **** crazy minority and good gracious do those guys in the athletic dept have their hands full monitoring that situation. The Bear may well have cut some corners here and there, but one thing I've taken away from all that I've learned about the guy was that there was a bigger picture. He did genuinely care. He was painfully aware of his aura, power and responsibility to his boys. In this state, at least, he could move heaven and earth. He did all he could, not just to win, but to raise fine men. What gets lost in time or translation is that a small few idiots take away 'well, the Bear cut corners.. and to be great, we gotta do that too. Here, have a car!' If the Bear were alive, I'm fairly certainly he would have punched each and every one of those guys who brought shame on the school. Fortunately for the good people of Alabama, they now have Nick Saban who rules with an iron fist. While Saban is not as physically imposing as the 6'3" Bear, he is every bit as much the ruthless, "our way, or no way" kinda guy.
KP, Re Saban and the Media: Is there a more fun moment in any press conference than that priceless time in which some jackhole reporter asks Saban 'So, will you be releasing a depth chart for this week's game?' You can almost tell how good of a mood Saban is in that week by how long it takes him to grip the podium and start rocking back and forth... Once he starts rocking, it's all downhill from there
Corey, In my opinion Coach Bryant is in a class with very few members and I am not comfortable putting Saban in that class yet, but you are correct, right now, I am comfortable that Alabama is doing everything possible to do things within the rules. Also, Saban's players toe the line. That in and of itself is quite an accomplishment.
:idea: It's just my opinion, but I think Alabama isolated itself until very recently. For nearly 100 years they played a regional schedule against other all-white teams within a radius of just a few hundred miles from their campus. Notre Dame, on the other hand, made a deliberate choice, as far back as Knute Rockne, to play a national schedule to showcase the team. In fact, the team was called the "Ramblers" for awhile, because they played ALL of their games on the road. Those early strategies still play a role in fans perceptions of the two teams. As an example, I live in the most populous state and we see Notre Dame in person EVERY year against either USC or Stanford. This gives the Irish a huge following out here, that is probably bigger than UCLA's or Cal's. Has anyone here seen Alabama since the early Rose Bowls? I don't think so. Whenever people around here talk about college football, the subject of Alabama never comes up, unless they're ranked #1 and somebody saw them on TV. There is no local opinion of Alabama's team. They might as well be playing on another planet...