Re: This Overlooked Fact Gives auburn 11 National Titles
Do you believe the majority of Auburn fans are loons?
Responding to this requires a rather broad view of things.
I think it is valid to consider why
any team in Alabama could have a large fanbase. The state isn't all that big, so when Alabama outdoes every college aside from Texas in merch sales, it gives you something to ponder. The explanation for Alabama isn't that hard to come by though. Alabama is in the heart of SEC country, the state doesn't have any notable professional teams, Alabama put southern football on the map with a Rose Bowl win, and Bear Bryant established Alabama as the dominant football program during his reign. Nick Saban has just affirmed Alabama as the top football program in the nation. So, it's not all that hard to get why Alabama is as popular as they are.
Auburn though? Auburn is a distant second to Alabama, but the pertinent question becomes how have they been able to keep from lagging helplessly behind to the point of falling into obscurity? Logically, having a monster like Alabama in a smaller state would tend to suck the air out of the room. Yet, Auburn has remained relevant. I would argue that much of that relevance is via Alabama. If a recruit can't go to Alabama, Auburn becomes viable, if a fan doesn't like Alabama, Auburn becomes the team to cheer for, if you like underdogs in general? There's Auburn. I don't think it is coincidence that Auburn rose to heights unseen in a very long time at the same time Alabama was peaking as well. Alabama achieving success also stirred up the other side as well.
I have called out the fans I believe are marginalized on the Alabama side. The ones that care too much about Auburn, the ones that would cheer against Auburn even if it would cause Alabama to suffer. That's not healthy, that's not a good viewpoint to have. From what I have seen though, a very large percentage of Auburn fans have this very viewpoint about Alabama. I've seen Alabama losses celebrated as joyfully as Auburn wins. There is a pervasive, just as long as Alabama loses mentality, and it's not healthy. Auburn fans shouldn't care that much about Alabama, simple as that.
So, where do the loons come into play? I have no issue with people that became Auburn fans "honestly". If you grew up near Auburn, if your parents were Auburn fans, if you went to Auburn, or perhaps grew up idolizing Bo Jackson, I can get becoming an Auburn fan. That makes sense, that's perfectly normal. If you did it because you were tired of hearing about Alabama? If you did it because Alabama fans got on your nerves? If you cheered for Auburn because they were not Alabama, because they were the rival to Alabama, etc...? Well, you might be entering the loon category, in which case you might be driven by hatred. The problem is those fans poison the well for everyone in my opinion, and help to make the entire thing unhealthy. If your entire reason for cheering for someone is because you dislike the other person, well what positives can they bring to the rivalry?
On another note, in a thrift store I found a honorary Auburn football scholarship signed by some guy named Ralph Jordan, heh.