Auburn is calling their stadium "The Jungle".
This is old news. But as the season approaches, I have been thinking about it.
Obviously, someone must have transferred to Auburn with a few years at another school, and retained the wits to realize that despite history, modern understanding prevails.
Allow me to elaborate. Jordan-Hare. Okay, J OR DAN HEY RRR. Read it the way it sounds right. Dispensing with "sound out the words" and other phonetics, Auburnites enjoy being ruffled when someone says the name of their stadium in the exact same way that conventional wisdom expects it to be said.
"No, it's Jerrr...daannnn...heeey rrr." Now, truly, is ESPN gonna respect that? Understand that? (Given Lee Corso, probably.) However, will CNN, MSNBC, FOX News even attempt to discover the correct pronunciation? Will the rest of us? Nope. No time, and who really cares. So some wiz-kid who had attained a small degree of intelligence and understanding of humanity suggested they change their name so that in addition to avoiding national ridicule they could emulate their nemesis, The Florida Gators, who reside in a swamp.
Now I understand that alligators typically reside in marshes, swamps, and small lakes. That name makes sense. The Swamp. Good marketing, good branding, and for the past decade, a good product.
The Jungle? War eagle tiger? They are so steeped in trying to match the Crimson Tide they could not stick with a single mascot. They bring Eagles to their games. Not tigers, although they make sure to dress some hapless fool up in a tiger suit while screaming WAR EAGLE. Now, from what I understand, birds of prey ARE in the rain-forests of the world, but not on the level of the "plains". PLAINSMEN?!?
So, let's pretend.
We could call our stadium the "Bear's Den".
We could call our stadium the "Capstone".
We could simply win some games, lose some games, and still be the Alabama Crimson Tide. A team that surges like a "crimson tide" and hits like a "herd of elephants".
We can grin and acknowledge the monikers, even embrace them. They are ours, and we earned them through the blood, sweat, and tears of our players over many decades and many coaches.
The "Bear's Den"? Well, there is a place way down south in Alabama where football is a way of life. A name for it is not needed. The flood of crimson jerseys says it all.
This is old news. But as the season approaches, I have been thinking about it.
Obviously, someone must have transferred to Auburn with a few years at another school, and retained the wits to realize that despite history, modern understanding prevails.
Allow me to elaborate. Jordan-Hare. Okay, J OR DAN HEY RRR. Read it the way it sounds right. Dispensing with "sound out the words" and other phonetics, Auburnites enjoy being ruffled when someone says the name of their stadium in the exact same way that conventional wisdom expects it to be said.
"No, it's Jerrr...daannnn...heeey rrr." Now, truly, is ESPN gonna respect that? Understand that? (Given Lee Corso, probably.) However, will CNN, MSNBC, FOX News even attempt to discover the correct pronunciation? Will the rest of us? Nope. No time, and who really cares. So some wiz-kid who had attained a small degree of intelligence and understanding of humanity suggested they change their name so that in addition to avoiding national ridicule they could emulate their nemesis, The Florida Gators, who reside in a swamp.
Now I understand that alligators typically reside in marshes, swamps, and small lakes. That name makes sense. The Swamp. Good marketing, good branding, and for the past decade, a good product.
The Jungle? War eagle tiger? They are so steeped in trying to match the Crimson Tide they could not stick with a single mascot. They bring Eagles to their games. Not tigers, although they make sure to dress some hapless fool up in a tiger suit while screaming WAR EAGLE. Now, from what I understand, birds of prey ARE in the rain-forests of the world, but not on the level of the "plains". PLAINSMEN?!?
So, let's pretend.
We could call our stadium the "Bear's Den".
We could call our stadium the "Capstone".
We could simply win some games, lose some games, and still be the Alabama Crimson Tide. A team that surges like a "crimson tide" and hits like a "herd of elephants".
We can grin and acknowledge the monikers, even embrace them. They are ours, and we earned them through the blood, sweat, and tears of our players over many decades and many coaches.
The "Bear's Den"? Well, there is a place way down south in Alabama where football is a way of life. A name for it is not needed. The flood of crimson jerseys says it all.
