ROLL TIDE

Through marriage I have become an Alabama fan. Don't you worry though, this process has taken years. I was that kid in high school who never stood up and cheered at pep rallies. I was that kid who didn't own a single piece of our high school colors. Heck at my last high school we really didn't even have sports.. I don't even know if we had a mascot. Either way, football was something that was not important to me. I still think that football players are pretty dumb and because of that they aren't the kind of people I would like to associate myself with. I mean, come on, do you want to hang out with the dumb kids? If you are a football player understand that this is just my opinion, I'm sure someone somewhere thinks you are wonderful and you hung the moon, I'm just not that person. You know, I once had a gym teacher actually explain to me that athletes are not as smart because all the blood in their body is used to maintain their awesome muscles instead of their brain functions. I guess that's why my brother was a track star AND graduated from Yale and Harvard. Nice try gym teacher. Way to go bro, I'm proud of you.



I went to a university that had a football team but I never went to a game. No wait, I went once but it was just to hear the band and then I left. Still to this day have never been to a football game. Ahh but here I am in the wonderful state of Alabama and you know what? This whole football thing gets really intoxicating. I noticed on Saturday as I was driving down the street that there were cars EVERYWHERE with Alabama logos on them. Flags waving from windows. People had T Shirts on. Yeah, I know it was homecoming, but this is what it's like on game day every time it's game day. So I've come accustomed to the crimson colors. I married into football. My father in law will boast until the day he dies that he has a letter written and signed by Bear Byrant. This is actually true (unlike some of the stories he tells... either way Jaime and I love to hear his stories, as long as they don't end in him trying to witness to us in a restaurant or tell us what to name our children. Herman Barzella.... really?). H.R. used to hire the Alabama football players during the summer to work construction for him to keep them in shape and out of trouble and for this he received a letter and a signature that some people would pay money for. You can read from this that I have a connection here. I know someone who knows someone. You follow?
I remember buying H.R. an Alabama windbreaker for Christmas one time. It brought him to tears. The next year I went out on a limb and decided that since I was forced to watch the Iron Bowl (the first time I watched an entire football game) I deserved an Alabama shirt. I love that shirt. Plus my team won so I was proud.


This year Jaime and I decided to really become fans. To not only watch as many of the games as possible but to drink a beer while watching the game. Every game day I put on my Alabama sweatpants and my Alabama shirt. We sit down to Baker's Pizza (your pizza is amazing by the way) and some beer. I almost always fall asleep during the fourth quarter you can ask Jaime, but it doesn't mean that I'm not excited. We're undefeated did I mention that?

Well the point is this. I've gradually become an Alabama fan. It's taken about three years but I think I'm there. I still don't really want to understand what's happening. I don't want to know what the players names are or what their major is because let's face it. It's all pretend so that they can have an excuse to play football and I think it's shameless. But I'll watch the game. It's not even about the act of football, it's about being in a group of people. It's about being a part of one of the biggest fan bases in America. It's about going somewhere and saying Roll Tide and knowing that someone near you knows exactly what you mean. It's like being in a club. Kind of like a sorority but better because this time you have MILLIONS of friends. Instant friends.



Instant friends you ask? I have never experienced anything like this in my life but here's how it went down. Saturday Jaime and I were shopping before the game started. I was wearing my beloved Alabama shirt and we were walking into Best Buy (to replace an xBox360 controller that Huxley ruined... horrible story) I pass by a guy in an Alabama hat. He looks me square in the eyes and says "Roll Tide!" I smiled and said "Roll Tide!" back to him thinking to myself... holy crap I'm in the 'in' crowd'... he turns as we pass him and says, "I'm headed to the game right now!" I think I said something like "Awesome, have a great time!". Jaime looked at me and said "Who was that?" and I was like "I have no freaking clue but that was really cool.. that was my first Roll Tide". That man talked to me like we were friends our whole lives. He was so excited about Alabama football that the fact that I was wearing paraphernalia gave him a reason to let his true feelings out about Alabama. Amazing. I've never felt like I belonged to some big thing before this.. I mean, this is big! This is Alabama Football ya'll. Alabama football means you can talk to complete strangers and they'll eat it up. I mean.. I'm blogging about it.