More Alabama or Auburn fans?

[Mims44 1,867]

14 hours ago, AuburnEagle79 said:

I think you can pull for whoever you want. I also think that if you are smack talking someone who went to a school, while you (or immediate family) did not attend the school that you are supporting, your opinion is invalid. 

Alabama fans love Alabama football, Auburn fans love Auburn. I would imagine the higher number of AU fans that are connected to AU contribute to our mindset. 

 

I disagree with this... 

I grew up in Auburn, 9/11 happened, I joined as soon as I turned 18. After my years were up, my family had moved to Tenn, so I ended up getting my degree there. It wasn't the typical college experience as I was older, married, and had kids. I also don't really follow UT football, I know some of the basics of the program of course but that's it.

The problem with this premise you put forward makes it seem like my opinion on UT football (which I know little about) would be valid, while my opinions on AU football which I have followed extensively for decades is invalid.

[gr82be 14,423]

1 minute ago, Mims44 said:

I disagree with this... 

I grew up in Auburn, 9/11 happened, I joined as soon as I turned 18. After my years were up, my family had moved to Tenn, so I ended up getting my degree there. It wasn't the typical college experience as I was older, married, and had kids. I also don't really follow UT football, I know some of the basics of the program of course but that's it.

The problem with this premise you put forward makes it seem like my opinion on UT football (which I know little about) would be valid, while my opinions on AU football which I have followed extensively for decades is invalid.

Thank you so much for your service and your opinion is as every bit as valid as anyone's. 

[Barnacle 9,064]

I'm not an Auburn alumnus. I never attended the University, and no one on my side of the family did. 

I'm an Auburn "fan", but I have no problem admitting that those who attended the University are going to have a deeper, more fond relationship to Auburn than me. It doesn't make me a second class fan, but I'll never pretend to have the same relationship with Auburn that some of you do. 

 

[AuburnEagle79 2,165]

44 minutes ago, Mims44 said:

I disagree with this... 

I grew up in Auburn, 9/11 happened, I joined as soon as I turned 18. After my years were up, my family had moved to Tenn, so I ended up getting my degree there. It wasn't the typical college experience as I was older, married, and had kids. I also don't really follow UT football, I know some of the basics of the program of course but that's it.

The problem with this premise you put forward makes it seem like my opinion on UT football (which I know little about) would be valid, while my opinions on AU football which I have followed extensively for decades is invalid.

First of all, thank you for your service.

I guess what I'm meaning is that if someone with no degree or connection at all from the University they root for is out here bashing Auburn to my face, I'll tell them that their opinion doesn't really matter. It doesn't. They have no skin in the fight.

I don't personally know you, but I doubt that you'd go up to someone who went to Alabama and trash their school. It's not really a thing that I see Auburn fans doing in my experiences.

Alabama fans with no University connection do this frequently. Their opinions on Auburn University are invalid. It's the Updyke mentality. 

[DAG 33,980]

2 hours ago, AuburnEagle79 said:

It's not really a thing that I see Auburn fans doing in my experiences.

You don't see Auburn fans bashing other opponents to their faces? Every fanbase has these type of fans. The difference is Alabama commonly wins and like most teams who win, the fans become a lot more obnoxious. In 2010, we had quite a bit of obnoxious fans too.

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

12 hours ago, kevon67 said:

So if I lack the intelligence to attend Auburn or the funds to send my children does Auburn University not want me or my children as game attending fans?

Not if your salsa is made in NYC!

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

3 hours ago, AuburnEagle79 said:

First of all, thank you for your service.

I guess what I'm meaning is that if someone with no degree or connection at all from the University they root for is out here bashing Auburn to my face, I'll tell them that their opinion doesn't really matter. It doesn't. They have no skin in the fight.

I don't personally know you, but I doubt that you'd go up to someone who went to Alabama and trash their school. It's not really a thing that I see Auburn fans doing in my experiences.

Alabama fans with no University connection do this frequently. Their opinions on Auburn University are invalid. It's the Updyke mentality. 

I know the ones your talking about. Like my experience with the guy at the bank once.

Standing in line minding my own business and then behind me I hear oh your one of those. I had a Auburn hat on. He bashes Auburn as a whole and backs it with the glory of Alabama football using we this and we that and we this. I ask him if he has his rings and he says no he didn't attend or play. So he smartly replies do you have any rings. I say yes and flash my AU class ring. His answer was well that is an academic ring and doesn't count. My response was you do realize the purpose of a university is education.

The sociology comments were fun for me cause I had a relative earn a BA in Sociology from Auburn then used it to attend and graduate from Alabama law school with honors. So a quick it will get through UA Law with honors usually ended those.

I only take the elitist route if I'm fired upon first and if I engage other SEC fans its for friendly coversation. Just cause a good so you attended Alabama puts many of them on the defensive.

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

13 hours ago, AUFriction said:

I had a toothless Bama fan in Walmart in Opelika tell me my education was worthless. He did so because I was wearing my AU Psychology Honor Society shirt. It poisoned me a bit on side walk fans. It’s  fine to pull for Auburn if you didn’t go there. It is not alright to be an aggressive obnoxious fan. I’m passionate as heck about Auburn because Auburn gave me a degree, a wife, lots of friends, lots of memories, and a career trajectory that ended in me getting a PhD. Things would have been very different for me if I’d gone anywhere else. I love Auburn University for what it’s given me. Sports passion is just how I express that love. When people claiming to be Auburn fans insult the anything associated with Auburn, it’s upsetting. When Auburn fans with no affiliation, represent the Auburn fan base negatively it’s upsetting. In other words, if you are a “sidewalk fan,” as long as you are supporting the school and the folks associated with and are being a good ambassador for the program, I have no quarrel with you.   

Very well said.

I'd separate side walk fan and fan though. I view side walk fans as the aholes that do the negative stuff. It carries a negative stigma. A fan is just a fan to me.

I also think those that did not attend Auburn, but get upset at those that did that don't put as much weight on the athletics, should remember there are a lot of other things about Auburn we cherish.

[Mims44 1,867]

4 hours ago, AuburnEagle79 said:

First of all, thank you for your service.

I guess what I'm meaning is that if someone with no degree or connection at all from the University they root for is out here bashing Auburn to my face, I'll tell them that their opinion doesn't really matter. It doesn't. They have no skin in the fight.

I don't personally know you, but I doubt that you'd go up to someone who went to Alabama and trash their school. It's not really a thing that I see Auburn fans doing in my experiences.

Alabama fans with no University connection do this frequently. Their opinions on Auburn University are invalid. It's the Updyke mentality. 

 

31 minutes ago, Texan4Auburn said:

I know the ones your talking about. Like my experience with the guy at the bank once.

Standing in line minding my own business and then behind me I hear oh your one of those. I had a Auburn hat on. He bashes Auburn as a whole and backs it with the glory of Alabama football using we this and we that and we this. I ask him if he has his rings and he says no he didn't attend or play. So he smartly replies do you have any rings. I say yes and flash my AU class ring. His answer was well that is an academic ring and doesn't count. My response was you do realize the purpose of a university is education.

The sociology comments were fun for me cause I had a relative earn a BA in Sociology from Auburn then used it to attend and graduate from Alabama law school with honors. So a quick it will get through UA Law with honors usually ended those.

I only take the elitist route if I'm fired upon first and if I engage other SEC fans its for friendly coversation. Just cause a good so you attended Alabama puts many of them on the defensive.

To both of those types though, they are just horrible fans. Whether they went to school at Bammer U or not. Got a guy at my work who went to LSU, none of us knew he was into football before this season, but he's now became insufferable... it doesn't make it better because he took his graduate courses at LSU.

 

BTW, those types are also usually the ones the most clueless about football, LSU grad from above I spent 5 minutes trying to tell him that the football has to cross the plane for it to be a TD and he insisted I was wrong and it went off the players helmet (?lol). It's really just people being annoying and uppity, whether they went to the school or not.

[auburnphan 6,050]

Should see Auburn fans on twitter and the basketball team, a complete and total embarrassment.

 

As far as Auburn fans go, I believe that many of the best Auburn athletic fans have not attended the school and it is a great thing.  
 

I also believe that us alumni have a special bond that can’t be shared in the same way, as we have experiences and accomplishments that are only known and shared by us.  However, these bonds have nothing to do with fandom or family to me.  It is about sharing the same journey in earning  the right to be asked for donations for the rest of your life.  I kid on the donation part, but not the journey.

[AU64 10,122]

On 1/12/2020 at 5:51 PM, AUwent said:

Can we stop with this "you have to have gone to a school to be a fan of it" mindset? It smacks of elitism.

Agree...what percent of Notre Dame or Duke fans went to those schools?    Does not make them more or less of a fan because mom or dad had the money to pay their tuition.   I accept that the majority of Alabama residents who care about sports are bama fans.....so what?   

[Percolator 51]

I'm not sure who has the most fans but I know which fan base has the most teeth! 

[AUsince72 11,084]

Love these convos.

I once heard a bammer say he was a fan of Alabama because it's the name of the state.

....not kidding.

I, myself, did not attend Auburn University. ....and to make it worse, I grew up in Georgia.

So my 40+ years of being an Auburn fan, the untold number of games I've attended, the players I've met in person....don't mean nuthin'.  ....guess I'm hanging up my Auburn gear for good....or at least until the real fans are back in a good mood again so that they'll let me back into the stadium one day.  Oh, I hope they do.  It's lonely out on the sidewalk.

[gr82be 14,423]

2 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

Love these convos.

I once heard a bammer say he was a fan of Alabama because it's the name of the state.

....not kidding.

I, myself, did not attend Auburn University. ....and to make it worse, I grew up in Georgia.

So my 40+ years of being an Auburn fan, the untold number of games I've attended, the players I've met in person....don't mean nuthin'.  ....guess I'm hanging up my Auburn gear for good....or at least until the real fans are back in a good mood again so that they'll let me back into the stadium one day.  Oh, I hope they do.  It's lonely out on the sidewalk.

I'm pulling for LSU because I drove through Baton Rouge a couple of times. That's my connection. 😁

[CleCoTiger 1,957]

Bama. By far.

[JDUBB4AU 5,116]

10 hours ago, Tigerpro2a said:

Same here JDub. As long as I have been walking I been living and breathing AU sports. Through the good times and bad...thick and thin. I always will. I had a nephew that was raised in an AU family. He married an AL grad but he himself grew up an AU fan. At the age of 25...he decided he was an Alabama fan. Gave away all his AU gear. 

I asked him why and his answer was I got too tired of being stressed over losing. I wonder how many other fans of that other school are just like that. I know pre-Saban bama fans were a lot more tolerable. 

I would walk away from College sports before I just switched. I lost my father when I was 5 years old. He was an AU fan and loved Bo. I guess I bought into it early and never looked back. I am AU for life , no school needed . 

[autigeremt 6,602]

On 1/12/2020 at 6:56 PM, AuburnEagle79 said:

I think you can pull for whoever you want. I also think that if you are smack talking someone who went to a school, while you (or immediate family) did not attend the school that you are supporting, your opinion is invalid. 

Alabama fans love Alabama football, Auburn fans love Auburn. I would imagine the higher number of AU fans that are connected to AU contribute to our mindset. 

 

I disagree about the assertion that a “fans” opinion is invalid. Until Auburn is no longer a land grant or public institution we can’t act as though they are not in some part supporting the university. Some people don’t have the same tract to college as others. Just my 2005 alumni opinion. War Eagle 

[AuburnTiger4Life 2,225]

On 1/12/2020 at 12:23 PM, BJCrawford said:

I did not link this entire article, but found this interesting. Proves a lot of Alabama fans just hopping on for the ride. Part of this article indicated Auburn fans hate Alabama slightly more than Alabama fans hate Auburn. I think it’s more than slightly 😊. IGTBAAT!

I find most people that don’t follow football closely are just Alabama fans simply because they’re “Alabama” and they think UAT represents the whole state 

[triangletiger 1,599]

13 minutes ago, AuburnTiger4Life said:

I find most people that don’t follow football closely are just Alabama fans simply because they’re “Alabama” and they think UAT represents the whole state 

I see quite a few folks up here in the rural outskirts of Charlotte sporting the Bama gear.  I’m pretty sure most of them are bandwagoners.

[McLoofus 35,182]

8 hours ago, AuburnTiger4Life said:

I find most people that don’t follow football closely are just Alabama fans simply because they’re “Alabama” and they think UAT represents the whole state 

It's because they win a lot. Auburn would represent the whole state if we traded football programs and history. 

Look at South Carolina. You'd think Clemson is the state school. 

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

14 hours ago, JDUBB4AU said:

I would walk away from College sports before I just switched. I lost my father when I was 5 years old. He was an AU fan and loved Bo. I guess I bought into it early and never looked back. I am AU for life , no school needed . 

I feel ya.. Sorry about your father. My father was sent home with Hospice just before Christmas so we are in a kind of waiting game I guess. My mom was an AU fan and older siblings were and I remember listening to radio game during the 93 season is when I became a fan. Went to my first game the next year and never looked back. I was an AU fan before I was a college football fan. 

[Linayus 676]

This really just comes down to Auburn and UAB having more alumni who are fans and Bama having more "sidewalk/bandwagon" fans, so of course both AU and UAB have a greater disdain for Bama.

"Alabama fans love Alabama football..." - in my experience this is very true. Very few that I know will follow any other sport except for football. This is true of many schools, I know, as personal sporting preferences differ widely between individuals. But on the flip side, I have way more Auburn fans who follow multiple sports (whether that's basketball, baseball, softball, gymnastics, equestrian, etc.) and who have a fondness for the University as a whole (sidewalk fans or not). Your typical "Bammer/Updyke" couldn't care less if UA was ranked dead last in every academic standard as long as "their" football team is winning.

The only time I get frustrated is when the idiots start trash talking Auburn University itself. You can talk trash about our <insert sport> team but unless you attended Auburn and have an informed reasoning behind your disdain, back. the. f-ck. up. (Normally this applies to those elitist alumni turds from Georgia.) lol

[kevon67 2,368]

On 1/13/2020 at 7:46 AM, Sizzle said:

They had got insecure because they didn’t go to Auburn or maybe even college in general and they thought it was a shot at them personally. I didn’t go to Auburn either but I definitely wasn’t triggered by it 

Who was triggered by it?

[kevon67 2,368]

17 hours ago, AUsince72 said:

Love these convos.

I once heard a bammer say he was a fan of Alabama because it's the name of the state.

....not kidding.

I, myself, did not attend Auburn University. ....and to make it worse, I grew up in Georgia.

So my 40+ years of being an Auburn fan, the untold number of games I've attended, the players I've met in person....don't mean nuthin'.  ....guess I'm hanging up my Auburn gear for good....or at least until the real fans are back in a good mood again so that they'll let me back into the stadium one day.  Oh, I hope they do.  It's lonely out on the sidewalk.

I didnt attend either and we've been following around the same time like you met many players in person, actually know 4 or 5 personally though sadly one has passed on.... He was a next door neighbor growing up......Class act he was......Owned the local drug store.

[JDUBB4AU 5,116]

2 hours ago, Tigerpro2a said:

I feel ya.. Sorry about your father. My father was sent home with Hospice just before Christmas so we are in a kind of waiting game I guess. My mom was an AU fan and older siblings were and I remember listening to radio game during the 93 season is when I became a fan. Went to my first game the next year and never looked back. I was an AU fan before I was a college football fan. 

Prayers for comfort for your father and your family . War Eagle brother