A FALL SATURDAY IN THE SOUTH

 It is Saturday afternoon in the South in late August through Thanksgiving and all is quiet.  All you can hear is the sound of a football game on the TV, an occasional loud yell, a shushing sound, and of course eating and drinking.  It is time for SEC football and the whole south is watching on TV, listening on the radio, or if lucky enough to be sitting in the stadium of their favorite school.  Football reigns in the south and of course it has to be the SEC. 

You don’t have to be a graduate or alumni of the school of your choice, but you have to choose your football team by the 1st grade.  In Alabama, it is Alabama or Auburn - Roll Tide or War Eagle.  Georgia is UGA or Georgia Tech, Mississippi is State or Old Miss and the roll call goes on for each Southern state. 

You may move to another state but you stay loyal to your school choice.  It’s like I told someone recently, “You can take the girl out of Alabama but you can’t take Roll Tide out of the girl”. It  is a lifelong choice. Anytime I see an Alabama hat or shirt, I just say “Roll Tide” and you always get one back with a smile.  That tot.al stranger is now a friend!!

I have greeted people with “ Roll Tide” in international airports, cruise ships, and foreign countries and always get it back with a smile.  Instant friends!!  I love it for “we” are everywhere.

This is not true just for Alabama but also any SEC team.  You can say “War Eagle”, “Go Dogs”, or any SEC school and find kindred spirits. Football in the South is a long-standing and proud tradition which  we treasure and will defend.

Husbands and wives in a household split by rival teams, will not talk much when their team is playing each other. If you hear Roll Tide and Go Dogs in the same house, there will be instant silence.  It’s best on those days to watch  the game on separate TVs in different rooms.  Tempers can flare a little and I have learned not to brag too much when Roll Tide wins.  

Win or lose, we remain loyal to our team and it can last for generations.  We teach our “little ones” to say Roll Tide when they begin to talk.  It is a big deal in the South so if you happen to move into our neck of the woods, just get used to it, for we stop the world to watch or listen to our team play football.  If this is not your game, you might want to just go fishing or shopping.  

Football is my game but only if it is SEC!!