Football is kind of a big deal in the south and by "kind of" I mean MOST DEFINITELY IS. Particularly in Alabama. In Alabama, we don't have a professional football team, so it's all about college. In the last 4 years, the state of Alabama has brought home the college national championship (3 of those 4 years was by my team-The University of Alabama).
The Auburn/Alabama rivalry is HUGE! Now that I'm living in NC, people talk about the UNC/Duke basketball rivalry, but it doesn't hold a candle to what it's like during football season in Alabama. Friends and family members turn into enemies. Football is a way of life. I don't even know how to explain it and I didn't know it was that way until I moved out of Alabama.
My husband is from Florida (and is a Florida Gators fan). He makes fun of how much we football fans in Alabama love our team tshirts. We have tshirts for everything! If we go to a gathering for my family, I guarantee you at least 1/4 of the family members will be wearing a shirt for their team.
We're a house divided :)
The Alabama/Auburn game is called the Iron Bowl. If your team wins the Iron Bowl, you will want to buy the tshirt saying that your team won. Alabama may be great now, but they had several years of not being so great. Let me show you.
This was my brother and I wearing our Iron Bowl tshirts when Alabama beat Auburn in 2001.
This was us 7 years later when they finally won against Auburn again in 2008.
Yeah. It took long enough. Anyway, I'm excited about college football season starting soon. So, I wanted to see what my swappy friends' thoughts are on football:
Dawn from
Dawn's Disaster
"I prefer pro football over college. Mostly because I don't really follow it and my dad and husband watch pro football at home. I root for the Minnesota Vikings, but I know we're not that great. I think it may have something to do with the fact that purple is one of their colors. There's not really a favorite player {baseball is more my game}, but I enjoy any player who plays well and is a good sport. Good sportsmanship is the key to a great player in my book."
"Alright, so I'm not a MAJOR fan of football but I live in the state of Nebraska and my Husker's are fairly famous for their love of the pigskin sport. I will admit I do love a good super bowl party and I'm the first to plan the snacks and all that fun stuff but the game itself kind of bores me. I just can't sit still long enough to really get the concept of what the technical terms all mean. I haven't experienced a football game in person in probably a good fifteen years and usually college football season lands smack dab in the middle of our busiest season on the farm, harvest. If we're in the combine we'll sometimes try to listen in on games on the radio. Our fans have been voted top fans of college football on several occasions and its because we're super courteous to our rivals. Heck, who am I kidding, we invite them to the bars after the games. And, to top it off, everyone loves everyone! Don't believe me? Check out this clip about a little boy, Team Jack, and his fight to survive brain cancer as he was encouraged to participate in the University football scrimmage game we have every spring. It's a tear jerker! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jmisv1Spck)"
"I love watching football. It's just one of those things that comes along with fall that makes the season even better. I like watching both pro and college, although I think it's more fun watching pro. My favorite team is the Tennessee Titans ~ everyone always questions this because I'm from PA and now live in NY. But my dad was a die-hard Houston Oilers fan back in the day and of course that transferred over to the Titans, as did my love for that team. I just wish they were a little bit better these days! My husband is a Cowboys fan ~ our dog is even named after the team ~ Dallas :)"
Megan from
The Mrs.
"I am a total football fan! I was a cheerleader in high school and and a member of the Troy University Sound of the South Dance Ensemble! Following football became a way of life for me! I am a fan of the Troy Universality Trojans through and through! Here in the south, though, one must choose between Auburn or Alabama! I am an Alabama Fan as well, Roll Tide! Alabama football is a legacy to my husband, for he marched in the Million Dollar band. His entire family is devoted to the ole Crimson Tide, too! Football season means grilling out, getting together with family and friends, and yelling at the TV; it means houndstooth and crimson!"
What about you? Are you excited for football season? Do you prefer college or pro? Who's your favorite team?
