Over the years, there's been many references made by me to how bat sh*t crazy the fans here are. Usually, these references or statements seemingly get blown up because Bill doesn't see them at the swamp, or KP doesn't know them or (insert opinion of highly respected poster *yes KP and Bill that means you are both highly respected* that just utterly invalidates my post/opinion) So yesterday, Spencer posted this article which was slightly funny. Not one of his better efforts, but it's a dead time of the year. http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/2012/12/18/3781470/let-the-t-shirt-wars-begin An excerpt, censored by me slightly for those with tender eyes and high moral standards of decorum when it comes to communication than I: And now today, my ex-wife calls me to inform me that on the way to school she'll be bringing Carson in so he can change his shirt. Now, my ex says a lot of weird stuff to me but this somehow came off as sincere and innocuous. I asked her what it was about and it turns out that he was wearing this awesome Notre Dame hockey jersey with the leprechaun on the front, interlocking ND logos on the side etc. It's actually a cool shirt. This just made no sense to me at all. When the boy popped in, I asked him what it was about. He went on to tell me that he'll never get anything done all day today at school because it's exams and the non-stop torture, ragging and badgering from EVERYONE at school (not just Alabama fans) would never end. It's not just the kids, it would be the teachers, janitors.. you name it, it won't stop. He had the face of a man ready to tap out before the fight even started. So in the parenting frame that I was raised within, I inform my son 'screw them and their rebel pride. If the Irish are really your team, then wear your shirt with pride.' (full disclosure, I didn't use the word screw) He looked at me with a face like he was actually already exhausted. He said "You don't understand. It won't ever stop. I already get it now and I don't wear ND gear to school, I just tell people that I'm an ND fan and everyone harasses me. I just want to get through exams without making it any worse." Now, one final tidbit to keep in mind..and I'm not just saying this as any sort of 'proud pappa' or anything. Though I'm a proud parent, I'm oddly cold and removed from all things analytic. There isn't a kid on that campus who could kick his ass. Hell, there most likely isn't an adult on that campus who could even subdue him alone let alone have any hope of kicking his ass. He's 13 now, but at just under 6'1" and at 180 solid pounds he's bigger, faster, stronger than most all the men on campus AND he's a rather highly trained martial arts fighter (for any standard, let alone his age). Even the MMA fighter he trains with won't spar with him without protective gear anymore.. My son has never in the past had any trouble speaking his mind. He's always stood up for what he believed in. The only 'fight' that he's ever been in trouble for came when he was like 9 and he absolutely destroyed 3 boys older and larger than him who were picking on one of his good friends (who is a deaf girl)... Now if Spencer (A Gator living in Atlanta) sees it... I see it, and my son sees it to the point that he actually would just as soon not wear anything ND related and try to be as invisible as possible to just get to the Christmas break.. Is there just the chance that the 'SEC pride' is a bit more out of hand than you guys are willing to admit.......?
LOL it certainly doesn't dismiss it. Don't get me wrong, there's bat **** crazy all over the place. Have you ever been surrounded by Ohio State fans? It's like that... but an entire region of Ohio State fans that stretches from the far reaches of the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean and all the way up to Missouri.
Corey, I just googled "college sports related fan violence", There are a lot of returns but you know what, I could only find one related to an "Alabama fan" and that one was a crime against a tree? Oh well, I'm sure it's a liberal media plot to cover up for their Alabama darlings. :wink:
An Ohio State addendum: The guy who owns/runs the tobacco cabin close to my house is a Buckeye. We've talked football on a great many occasion. Whenever we cross paths, and there are no women or children present, his greeting to me is always 'f*(k the Irish.' My greeting to him is always in some state of flux. At the moment it usually centers around prison orange jump suits, probation or some form of Jim Tressell/Ray Charles comparison.. It's all in fun, but we're 2 grown ass men who understand and embrace our absurdity. Then again, I'm not hollering down any children because they are sporting a Michigan jersey either. (oddly, you see more of those here than one would think.. lots of Michigan/Ohio transplants)... The guy at the tobacco cabin gets it and sees it as well. By and large we agree there's nothing wrong with it.. but it's just a bit over the line here and when you try to point that out, the locals deny the existence of it or marginalize it. But in all seriousness, I haven't seen my son look that beaten down since the divorce. That gives me serious cause to reflect exactly 'why.' Maybe he's just being a wuss about it? Although (and this has to be so odd for the ND guys who remember the little chub wandering around playing golf in the ND parking lot), I'd invite anyone (grown man or not) to try to test his toughness mentally or physically. Just remember, no tap outs. I'll be the fat guy in the lawn chair with the snacks if you need me
Oh if you want to talk about actual violence, Dodger Giants games are no joke. Then again, you are talking about actual gang members who are right there in the neighborhood who live/breath Dodger Blue. The people of LA and Dodger fans everywhere acknowledge their existence and are ashamed of them. You'll even see other Dodger fans at a Dodger game telling some vato to tone it down. I've done it myself. Bullies are bullies. Sometimes, you gotta threaten them with a Dodger Blue souvenir baseball bat prostate exam... but the point/fact is, they are not tolerated. That's just physical violence. You are overlooking mental abuse and or cruelty, I know you're not that obtuse. You're a very smart guy. That's the stuff that takes its toll. That's the stuff that people, when you call them on it here, say 'Oh they just messin around.' I know the bitter locals here who think Carson being an ND fan is something of my doing. They'd be wrong. We don't watch the games together (he rarely watches football). I didn't 'make' him an ND fan, they did. Unlike a lot of kids here, he knows/sees there is an alternative. Hell, just the other day he was talking about (if he isn't lucky enough to play sports at the next level) wanting to be a member of the Stanford band. I encourage all of this because I want him to be him. (and I f*cking hate Stanford). Thinking outside the box here is only embraced when working on the arsenal, and even then.....
I've told y'all in the past of what I have to put up with if Alabama loses to Auburn. It is infuriating and I hate it but hell the ones doing it are mostly family so I just put up with it knowing that the worm will eventually turn. Corey, I'm sorry your son has to put up with this, but I would guess that this "treatment" is only temporary. If Notre Dame wins he should be able to gloat, if Notre Dame loses he will have to endure others gloating for a while. If Alabama loses, yes there will be unbearable fans that claim the game was fixed, the refs were crooked, the Pope intervened and much more. If Alabama wins they will say that this proves the superiority of the Baptist Church,the purity of the Southern way of life, and the sanctity of Nick Saban. Violence doesn't usually enter into it. If it bothers him that much he should be calmed by the fact that he can leave Alabama in a few years. 8)
It must be a SEC vs SEC thing, those EDSBS guys are all Gators right? I've read a number of posts over on NDNation talking about going to Bama back in the 80's and that they were nice fans. While I know a lot of LSU fans here in Houston and they are all nice people they are pretty passionate. I've never been to a game there, but reports are that you might get some Sh&t talking. I think Tom and Cindy said they would never go back to LSU. I've been to Ohio State with Stu and didn't experience anything, but a lot of Texas fans who weren't with Stu complained a lot about their treatment at the game. It was a pretty hot topic on the Texas internet boards. Apparently if you are with Stu it's like going to little Italy with the Godfather...nobody messes wid you. I've always read good things from ND fans who traveled to Knoxville for Tenn/ND games. Always said they were treated very well. As far as the ND shirt to school in Alabama. I recall reading a story about a elementary school kid in Oklahoma who was sent home because he had a Michigan T Shirt on and they only allow OU or OSU gear in that school district. That would never happen in Texas because there are so many in state schools with fans and much of our growth is from immigrants from other states who bring their allegiances with them. So we are truly a multi-cultural state when it comes to College Football.
hahaha! He's a good kid with a good temper. He'll be fine either way. The max amount of gloating I could ever see him doing is donning the ND jersey JOCO is sending him over for Christmas to school. He'll do that maybe once or twice. He won't say a word. Me, on the other hand, I'm an assh*le. There is a reason why even my normal, good guy, regular (the people you and I know exist and are the majority) fans are so excited about Alabama having their chance to whip the Irish. I'm what's known in baseball circles as 'a rag.' I can flat talk sh*t at a world record pace clip. It's a gift, really. In baseball, there's a lot more talking than people realize especially from the dugouts. I just don't do it to anyone. You've got to want a shot at the belt. It's like being a goon in hockey. You don't go slapping around the little guys. Someone's gotta give you the nod before the gloves hit the ice. I think my son said it best, actually. We were at my friends Lonnie and Vinny's wedding reception. For reasons known only to God and the idiot Tide fan who started it (a camera man at WAFF who now resides in Memphis. There's no truth to the rumor that the shame I brought him chased him there). There was the usual Tide/Tiger thing (you know how this goes) going on. Then a Vol fan was dumb enough to open their mouth. Confrontation, of course, brings in any LSU fan so now there's a handful of them in the mix. I was sitting back laughing at all the good digs everyone was getting in on each other with my son, when an LSU fan (quite attractive female btw) asked me why I was laughing and, of course, to make my declaration for my team. I tried to stay out of it by saying I don't follow the local teams close enough to root for them but she insisted. At that time, that idiot Mark (the Tide fan) went on a rant about my Irish. I shrugged it off and just smiled until I realized they were all going to gang up on me. So, the gloves hit the ice. My buddy Klink walked way at this time, because he knows what's coming. What ensued was about 15 minutes of non-stop trash talk and factual, undeniable weaponry with more than a hint of humor so sharp that the fans all took turns laughing at the other. (Everyone laughing at my Auburn jokes except Auburn fans, then everyone but Tide fans laughing at my Tide jokes etc etc). When the silence set in, there was the exclamation 'well still, F&cK Notre Dame!' which is essentially the hockey equivalent of hiding behind the referee. My son laughed (he has this booming hearty laugh). Miss LSU asked my son 'what do you think is so funny?' and he replied (direct quote) "You remember the old Nintendo game Duck Hunt? Well, that was like watching my Dad play Duck Hunt with an M16, except this M16 was real and your TV screen is all blown up, smoking and no one can play the game anymore." I don't take nonsense from anyone who doesn't ask for it and I dish out way more than they can eat. They are absolutely chomping at the bit that ND is going to get beat/their butt whipped just so they can finally one up me. They know I'm a man of my word and will take it. They really want me to have to suffer. I'm fine with this.
Sid, Seriously, that was a great line by KP. I lost my coffee a bit on that one. Good stuff. And this is why I'm glad KP participates on the game day threads
Terry, Spencer is a Gator. I believe Jason is 'a dawg'. They have a decent mix, but by and large, there's a lot of Gators. "Rick Muscles" who also posts under a few other names is a Tide guy who is from here in Decatur, although I believe he lives in B'ham now. Anyway, it is an SEC vs SEC thing. I kind of wish I could just kidnap you all and go to something like the 1st 2 days of the SEC baseball tournament or really any SEC event.. the hard part is that it's almost impossible to go in incognito. You're declaration for who you're rooting for is pretty clear usually, either by wardrobe or action. It can be so much fun. I tell people that all the time. If you love college sports, there's no place like the South to live. They are brutal. No one knows you like family. In that same vein, if you aren't family, well... then you're in trouble.. It's the latter part that's quite true and they have a hard time admitting it It's a blast though. The boy will toughen up and grow from this.
One of the best EVER. Around here, most schools don't allow team shirts/jerseys/hoodies mostly because of the gang connotation but also partly because of the harassment.
I hear visiting fans to Pullman are attacked by Big Horn Sheep and spat upon by catfish and walleyes from the Palouse River.
You offensive bastards! I thought we were all attacking Alabama and Notre Dame!?!?!? Re: Sheep - Leave Wyoming's sexual preferences out of this thread. :twisted: