the sec: my disfunctional family

as the national championship approaches, things are heating up in the south. i mean let's think about this: alabama got the national title last year, and now auburn is in the running for it this year. that's an uncommon occurence. two rivals, one championship, one year after the other. one would think it's just the sec world balancing itself out. some, however, think it's some sort of pre-planned one-upper. whatever, it's happening. get over it.

i like to think of the sec as my disfunctional family. the one that fights amongst itself day in and day out, until someone from another family comes along, and then you better not mess with us. at least, that's how i see it. games between the family members: you pick your side based on various reasons, whatever they may be. you know what i'm talking about though. i'll pick a neutral example just to keep it safe here. lsu: if georgia plays lsu, i'll pick georgia. but if some midwestern team comes along and plays lsu, i'm picking lsu. but that's just my theory.

some people just delight in the misfortune of their rival, at any cost or any game. for me this is a conditional statement. i have delighted in some misfortunes within the sec. most are short-lived and survive only the monday morning football talks around the coffee pot.

however, when the balance of fortune and misfortune (because, let's be honest, that's the majority of a game) becomes unequal between rivals, it can result in some nasty behavoior. and what's more, is it's tolerated as normal during football season. if your team is not doing great and your rival(s) is (are), then there's always something you can find to blame it on. i've been there folks, i've done it, so don't deny it. it's the quarterback, it's the crooked coaching and playing of their defense, it's the refs, it was a predetermined game, someone paid someone off, it's because the star's real training came from another school, the list is endless. no one's getting off with a perfect season if you've got anything to say about it.

now here's the strange juxtaposition of football and the south: in most cases, the south has a reputation for politeness, social graces, and if you don't use your manners, someone's mama will correct you (or at least report you to your own mama). and football...football is bred into you like your own family. your team is your family. it's not "auburn played pretty good this weekend." it's "we played pretty dang good, huh?" speaking for auburn specifically (as it's my team and all), auburn is like home to me. it's not only where my parents went to college, but most my aunts and uncles, it's where i went to college, and i spent some of the best years of my life there. i knew how to say "war eagle" before i even knew what it meant, and auburn and navy have always been a fine color palette to me. it has a special place in my heart.

that being said, when you involve football into conversation, i'd be willing to say it's worse than politics. but most etiquitte will teach that you don't bring up politics with someone you don't know well. why, it's just not polite! but football? ok, let's talk football. let's talk about how your team is going to lose and how my team is so great. let's talk about how much i hate your coach and how crooked your athletic department is. let's insult each other until we've both made up our minds that it is impossible to have a decent conversation with her or him--they're just obnoxious lsu fans, or red-neck alabama fans, or over-defensive auburn fans, or conceited florida fans. we all know the labels, and we all know how to apply them.

what happens here? why is it ok--even with general aquaintances, or worse, people you just met--to talk smack to each other when it comes to football? in no other part of life is this normal. social graces are just out the window. i walked into the gym the other day wearing an auburn shirt and some guy who i've never talked to before said to me "did someone throw up on your shirt?!" and it wasn't even a loud obnoxious auburn shirt. it was navy and said "auburn" in white. big deal. i don't walk up to perfect strangers wearing alabama shirts and say "oh, was wal-mart having a sale?" i have couth. i may hate your team, but that doesn't mean i hate you. i have very close and dear people to me that are georgia, florida, florida state, alabama, and lsu fans. i may not route for your football team, but i'm not going to put you down. that's who you are and i respect that.

i know what it means to belong to an sec football team, and therefore i understand what it means to other people. i don't smack talk, i don't bring up football at a dinner gathering, and i don't put obnoxious flags on my car. it's just not polite. and above all else, grow up people. as much as i love it, it's just football. IT'S JUST A GAME.