Coach Saban's coaching career. - Page 5

BamaInBham · May 17th, 2009, 09:58 PM

	Quote:	liquidvengeance
	Question: If this is the case please explain to us the difference between us and them while literally thousands of UA fans align the Tusc. airport runway awaiting his arrival to set one foot on campus,3 years in a row of at least 82,000 fans at a "supposed glorified spring game",the best fans in the US of A and alumni loyalty support in the ncaa bar none,BDS annual fall sellouts for every home game,the best traveling fanbase anywhere-add that to the menu too with your consistent non relentless positive fan support 365 days a year, constant money donations, and a gazillion others that too many to list. On the other end of the spectrum you see has infinite booing,thrown stuff,held Satan signs/t-shirts bumper stickers,scathing attitudes and actions,3 years of non stop bashing and filthy actions and not one fan showed up to greet him off the first plane to arrive down there. The entitlement tag towards UA is a myth and is basically nothing but a misconstrued air of confidence. If that doesnt convince you to get a gist and understanding of the UA code go google the famous quote by former UA president David Matthews. IMO UA sideline fans imo dont represent the true quota of the UA fanbase when it comes down to it. Thats a media concoction and an outsider pov. Until someone is an official member inside our house as a family member they dont get this;cannot and wont fully understand what it means to be one of us. Thats always been a problem to our opponents,rivals from the sec,the rest of the nation and if they cant accept that they never will. Usually they just dont want to accept it. It doesnt bother us either because we embrace it and the fact that they cant .

I agree that Bama has a great fanbase, arguably the best. You accurately point out many aspects of it. I also agree that the "expectations" criticism is grossly overstated. Also, no college football fanbase is as rabid or loves their team and players and coaches more than Bama, IMO. But there are many who, not understanding what is really involved in building a great program, have a sense of entitlement because of the past. Some think that just putting on a crimson jersey turns players into a winner - even after the 10 years prior to Saban. There are still some who do not realize what a great coach Saban is in almost every aspect, thinking he is primarily a great recruiter. The fans on this board are much different than on other boards and venues.

As far as the LSU vs Bama comparison, it is only natural that LSU would be more appreciative since their history does not compare with Bama's. If the roles were reversed the LSU fanbase reaction may be the same or worse. But after the SECC game many lost interest. Most still thought it was a good year since it happened in year 2, but a few were inordinately critical claiming that without a championship the season was not a success. I know that there are bad apples in every fanbase, but IMO, if there were some who would do that in Saban's 2nd year when expectations were greatly exceeded, it will be far worse in 2 more years and forward. The entitlement attitude by many Bama fans is something Saban has addressed often - I agree with him. That does not mean LSU's fanbase is superior, just different because of history.

TIDEFAN17 · May 17th, 2009, 11:12 PM

I still 100% believe Nick Saban made a mistake leaving LSU for the Dolphins and he does not and will not make that mistake again leaving Alabama. He is here to stay. Good for us.

Bamabuzzard · May 18th, 2009, 09:28 AM

	Quote:	liquidvengeance
	Question: If this is the case please explain to us the difference between us and them while literally thousands of UA fans align the Tusc. airport runway awaiting his arrival to set one foot on campus,3 years in a row of at least 82,000 fans at a "supposed glorified spring game",the best fans in the US of A and alumni loyalty support in the ncaa bar none,BDS annual fall sellouts for every home game,the best traveling fanbase anywhere-add that to the menu too with your consistent non relentless positive fan support 365 days a year, constant money donations, and a gazillion others that too many to list. On the other end of the spectrum you see has infinite booing,thrown stuff,held Satan signs/t-shirts bumper stickers,scathing attitudes and actions,3 years of non stop bashing and filthy actions and not one fan showed up to greet him off the first plane to arrive down there. The entitlement tag towards UA is a myth and is basically nothing but a misconstrued air of confidence. If that doesnt convince you to get a gist and understanding of the UA code go google the famous quote by former UA president David Matthews. IMO UA sideline fans imo dont represent the true quota of the UA fanbase when it comes down to it. Thats a media concoction and an outsider pov. Until someone is an official member inside our house as a family member they dont get this;cannot and wont fully understand what it means to be one of us. Thats always been a problem to our opponents,rivals from the sec,the rest of the nation and if they cant accept that they never will. Usually they just dont want to accept it. It doesnt bother us either because we embrace it and the fact that they cant .

Then maybe you need to email this to Coach Saban because with as many times as he has addressed the fans through the media with regards to outrageous expectations I would venture to say that his perception of our fanbase is exactly what you're trying to say is a "myth". Stereotypes don't originate from thin air. They originate from truth and then take off from there.

Our fan base is very passionate and as much as we can support "our coach" we can also pile on just as much. Is the entire fan base filled with an "entitlement" attitude? Probably not but there is enough fans still filled with that type of attitude to try to pass it off as "myth".