To all the fans that left early......thanks for nothing!

gamersfuel said:

see it as you wish. my circumstances put me in a situation where i had to leave the game early. dont care what anyone thinks about it. if anyone wants to look at that as me being a bad fan, so be it if it makes you feel better. for those that left early because they thought it was over, more power to them. their tickets, their decision

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So what you are saying, in plenty clear terms if you don't care if your actions have a negative impact on the team. Does that make you a bad fan? It makes you a thoughtless one. This is what Nick Saban had been hinting at for a while and this issue last night is absolutely, proof positive of why it matters. Alabama needed fans there not just to support the team, but to try and disrupt the Ole Miss offense.

I do feel I understand you, you treat the team as nothing more than mere entertainment for you. That's fine, but I'd suggest you sit in front of a big screen TV with a bag of Doritos and a comfortable couch next time, I'm sure you'll cheer for Alabama until you feel like turning the TV off in the fourth quarter and guess what? That won't do any harm at all...

Edit: I feel the need to add that there were something like 80 recruits at the game. 80 recruits that saw the fans walking out. Never mind the team on field, that's just a terrible thing for those recruits to see.

JD95 said:

Yaaaaawwwwwwwwnnnnnnn. The obligatory annual "I'm outraged at all the people who left early" thread with a dash of "BDS isn't intimidating enough" thrown in. As always, people buy the tickets and they can decide to stay or not - especially when it's midnight and there's a long drive ahead of them. And BDS is just fine. If the Tennessee atmosphere is so energizing and exciting, go cheer for them or whoever else has a stadium environment that suits you better.

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Hey, this thread can now accompany our "we keep losing" thread or "remember when we we're good thread." Cool?

sent from my big ol' note 4

LOL at all the rationalizing why it was okay to leave early. IMO most of them are just our poor sport fans. Same ones that can't handle themselves in the game threads here. I always have to deal with traffic when I go to games. Never once have I ever left if the game was close or we were down. EVER.

KrAzY3 said:

I feel the need to add that there were something like 80 recruits at the game. 80 recruits that saw the fans walking out. Never mind the team on field, that's just a terrible thing for those recruits to see.

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And this is what all the "entitled" fans who think if they spend their money on a ticket they can act however they want at a game need to realize. You leaving early does have an effect on the team.

KrAzY3 said:

You are what I refer to as an "entertainment value" fan, but there are other ways to support the team financially without depriving the team of a fan that actually wants to sit there and cheer.

Here's the thing. I completely get why some people couldn't stay late for a game like this.

But, a game this big? This huge? If you can't stay for four quarters give someone else your ticket! The team could have used someone in a seat supporting them, yelling and cheering. Walking out on the team like that was pretty sad.


You and I might not agree on everything, but you seem to get a lot of the subtle aspects of creating a championship team. Stuff like fans walking out on the team hurts the team, that's all there is to it. Sadly some fans are fine with doing that.

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Did you go to the game? Because of you didn't then you wouldn't know about almost 12 around me actually getting heat sickness and having to leave. My point is sure you can whine and groan about all the fans that left, but you can't make this a witch hunt to find all that all the ones that left as fair weather fans when you didn't go yourself like most people here. If you went and suffered through the beat then great for you and if you left only because the score then that's their decision since they bought it with their money. This thread is being used as a scapegoat thread for getting beat by a team we should've beat

I'll say it's ridiculous to think that no person is allowed to leave a game early. It was hot, people are old, it was very late. That being said, the people I noticed leaving was the 100s that spontaneously left a moment AFTER a turnover or ole miss score. Weird huh

sent from my big ol' note 4

God, I wish some of you would just give me your tickets, I'd gladly sit throw any blowout loss in a downpour just to be in the stadium.

I can't even afford the "cheap" games these days. The last game I went to was the Thursday night Ga St. game years ago and only because someone gave me the tickets. By the time I got to the stadium, the first quarter had ended and the game was essentially over. I stuck around until then end, even hung around at my seat for about 20 minutes after the game, I just didn't want to leave.

81usaf92 said:

Because of you didn't then you wouldn't know about almost 12 around me actually getting heat sickness and having to leave.

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I don't think anyone here is complaining about those fans. That Coker INT didn't cause several 1000 people to get heat sickness and leave. The fans that started leaving after that INT are the ones people are complaining about.

RollTide1017 said:

God, I wish some of you would just give me your tickets, I'd gladly sit throw any blowout loss in a downpour just to be in the stadium.

I can't even afford the "cheap" games these days. The last game I went to was the Thursday night Ga St. game years ago and only because someone gave me the tickets. By the time I got to the stadium, the first quarter had ended and the game was essentially over. I stuck around until then end, even hung around at my seat for about 20 minutes after the game, I just didn't want to leave.

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Unless travel or family is your expenses then cost of a ticket isn't a problem if you go to a scalper 30 minutes before kickoff. They were selling tickets for 35 bucks at places I passed. Probably even went down to 20 by the 2nd quarter.

Not singling you out because idk your predicament, but all these " give up your tide pride seats where someone else could go" people" like to use that statement but fail to realize or chose not to realize that if someone wanted to go then they could've gone without tide pride for a reasonable price.

81usaf92 said:

Did you go to the game? Because of you didn't then you wouldn't know about almost 12 around me actually getting heat sickness and having to leave. My point is sure you can whine and groan about all the fans that left, but you can't make this a witch hunt to find all that all the ones that left as fair weather fans when you didn't go yourself like most people here. If you went and suffered through the beat then great for you and if you left only because the score then that's their decision since they bought it with their money. This thread is being used as a scapegoat thread for getting beat by a team we should've beat

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I came close to making a thread on this issue earlier in the week, as I found myself explaining more at length the difference and repercussions of entertainment fans vs. supportive fans. I might do that since clearly this is an issue that has a lot of nuances.

Let me start with your first point, you said something about people getting ill. I would never disparage someone for falling ill and being forced to leave, but you and I both know darn well that all those fans didn't suddenly get sick at the same time.

Secondly, I know about the gametime, as did everyone else. If people didn't think they could make it through the game they should have considered alternatives at that point in time. They shouldn't be subjecting themselves to something that would make them ill and they could arrange for someone that is able to be in the seat for the big game.

Now, I can't go in depth too much here, but no I wasn't at the game, I don't have season tickets. I was however at the MTSU game. You know why I end up going to lesser games? I know generally speaking I have a greater impact (not to mention it's more affordable). Most of the time at least, the stadium is going to be full for a big game, for the lesser games? Sometimes it isn't. So, I go and I cheer for four quarters for a few of the lesser games a year.

However, last year I did have four tickets to the Miss. State game. I gave away two of those tickets to Alabama fans, I wanted to make sure the tickets went to actual Alabama fans who would be cheering in those seats.

So yes, I do think about my actions, I do think about the consequences, and while I like many others am just on a waiting list (I'd interject that I've been the waiting list since I could afford to be, even though Mobile is still a decent drive), I believe the team deserves our support for four quarters. I don't disparage anyone who can't afford to, or doesn't go to the games, providing their not going doesn't leave an empty seat. Give your ticket away if you can't go, sell it if you must, but I do feel we, if we do want to support the team, have an obligation once we have a ticket to insure that means someone is sitting there supporting the team. That's what it's for in my mind, not for entertaining us, for supporting the team.

Obviously, though... emergencies of any sort take precedent, but if someone's health is in such a state that going to a game puts them in danger, it might be time to give up going to games.

Edit: I'd add that I am in no way a superfan of any sort. I'm nothing special, I know that, and many, many other people have provided far better support for the team. But, I do believe in the principle that together we can have a very strong impact.

81usaf92 said:

This thread is being used as a scapegoat thread for getting beat by a team we should've beat

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I don't think that anyone is blaming the loss on the fans - just expressing disappointment in a behavior, like the disappointment in those who booed your kicker last week.

Reasons given for the mass exodus during the game...
1. Long drive -it's the same drive whether you leave early or stay until the end. We knew that there was construction on the roads to T-town. This group never intend on staying until the end.
2. Beating the traffic - how much time does it actually save when at least 20,000 people are leaving with you? Legitimate question...I have always wondered. This group never intends on staying until the end.
3. It was hot - we knew that going into game. All the weather forecast said it would be hot and humid. Last week was beautiful weather, no humidity at all and the season ticket holders still left early. By comparison, LSU fans stayed until the end of their game which was in the middle of the day with the sun beaming down on them.
4. Late start, game did not end until midnight - again, this was known prior to going., especially factoring in the TV timeouts. There is even a thread on this forum about it. This group never intended on staying until the end.
4. Young children that get tired - that's a given when they have been up all day. They get to the game tired, sleepy., and restless. Most kids that age don't have the patience to stay in one place and be content for 3-4 hours so their parents are really engaged in the game. This group probably never planned on staying to the end.
5. My money, I can do what I want - you are absolutely right but if you are a true supporter of Alabama football, shouldn't you want to give the team 100%?

It amazes me that the same fanbase that brags about having over 92,000 show up for spring scrimmage won't stay and support the team for a SEC nationally televised game in prime time. That was not a good look from inside the stadium so I can imagine how it looked on TV. Remember how many of our top recruits after that A-Day game mentioned the fans support as part of their decision to come here. Well, several future recruits were there to witness many fans abandon the team. Some current players mentioned the fans that gave up on them last night because we were behind going into the 4th quarter. And for those that say the players shouldn't be concerned about the fans leaving, how could anyone there not notice; it was so blatantly obvious?

This same fanbase has ragged the student section for leaving early in blocks. Last year, they made some changes to their seating priority and that has made a substantial impact. I wish something similar could be done for the season ticket owners. Many have turned getting season tickets into a revenue stream. For some seats in our section, the same people never show up twice in a season and the season ticket holders have not shown up in the last 10 years.

Something has happened to our fanbase. It seems like the success under CNS has made them complacent, entitled, and to some extent, apathetic. People don't seem to be there to cheer for the team., but to be apart of the spectacle that is Alabama football. It's more like, look at me, I got into this "A list" event. I was there for the Curry, Dubose, and Shula years, so I greatly appreciate the product that we are putting on the field because I have witnessed the down side.

Done with my rant.


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I will try to say things without getting banned.

First of all I went to the game. I had been out in the sun since 2:30 that afternoon. By game time it wasn't that hot, the humidity was crazy but it wasn't hot. If someone was suffering from heat exhaustion it was because they didn't take the time to hydrate. There's no way you can convince me that an 8:15 kickoff is too hot to make it 4 quarters.

I had a man sitting beside me who was EASILY in his 70's, and you can tell he's been sitting there a while. He sat until the very end. When people started filing out, you could tell he was disgusted.

Do some have legitimate reasons? Yeah they do, but I'll echo some other people's sentiments. The reason 90% of the people who left were leaving wasn't because if real reasons, it's because they're the entitled part of the fan base that only want to support when things are going well. They're the people who Terry Saban complains about. I'll be blunt. Those that left early (without legitimate reasons) make us as a whole look bad. We look bad to the team and the coaches, the recruits who are on campus, to the rest of the football world. If you think it has no effect, you've NEVER played football or a really competetive sport.

People knew what time the game was, knew they had drives to make, knew it would be after midnight before they left. Yet suddenly it was too much to handle? Give me a break.

And for all those "it's my money, I can do what I want" people. Yeah, you're right. You can do whatever you want. You can also give up your seats to people who really want to be there, and feel like every Saturday in BDS is the most important one.

Win, lose, or whatever I was so proud of the team last night. They fought hard for four full quarters. Those of us that stayed did too (I have no voice), I wish we could say the same for the rest.

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I go and I sit from beginning to end, win or lose ! I do agree that a lot of fans that left early are fair weather. NOT ALL !!!!. A lot of fans do give up very quickly, however when as much crap happens that happened last night people might of thought what the HELL ! they were probably thinking, it would not matter if olemiss only had 1 offensive player , he would somehow get a lucky bounce and score on it. It was really that kind of night !

Matt0424 said:

I will try to say things without getting banned.

First of all I went to the game. I had been out in the sun since 2:30 that afternoon. By game time it wasn't that hot, the humidity was crazy but it wasn't hot. If someone was suffering from heat exhaustion it was because they didn't take the time to hydrate. There's no way you can convince me that an 8:15 kickoff is too hot to make it 4 quarters.

I had a man sitting beside me who was EASILY in his 70's, and you can tell he's been sitting there a while. He sat until the very end. When people started filing out, you could tell he was disgusted.

Do some have legitimate reasons? Yeah they do, but I'll echo some other people's sentiments. The reason 90% of the people who left were leaving wasn't because if real reasons, it's because they're the entitled part of the fan base that only want to support when things are going well. They're the people who Terry Saban complains about. I'll be blunt. Those that left early (without legitimate reasons) make us as a whole look bad. We look bad to the team and the coaches, the recruits who are on campus, to the rest of the football world. If you think it has no effect, you've NEVER played football or a really competetive sport.

People knew what time the game was, knew they had drives to make, knew it would be after midnight before they left. Yet suddenly it was too much to handle? Give me a break.

And for all those "it's my money, I can do what I want" people. Yeah, you're right. You can do whatever you want. You can also give up your seats to people who really want to be there, and feel like every Saturday in BDS is the most important one.

Win, lose, or whatever I was so proud of the team last night. They fought hard for four full quarters. Those of us that stayed did too (I have no voice), I wish we could say the same for the rest.

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It was pretty humid where I was sitting, and we had people packed in the upper deck showing signs of heat exhaust. So just because the weather was tolerable for you doesn't mean it was for someone else. So really you are jumping to conclusions in the aspect of medical emergencies because frankly you can't judge for everyone. I will relent and say most left because we were getting run, but I'm defending those who actually have legit reasons. And again if someone really wanted to go they could've bought a ticket so that argument is off the table.

We don't have season tickets but try to go to a game or two from here in Pensacola. I would have liked to have been there last night and we would have stayed till the end. When you don't get to go much, it is the most wonderful thing in the world to take in and we take it all in. Maybe we are just spoiled rotten. I have only left a game once early. It was against MSU years back and it was because I was freezing. I could not feel my feet and we were in the Upper deck. I was more worried about falling and rolling down the walkway . I guess my point is support the team no matter what happens, it means a lot and sure made US all look bad!

Where are people getting the idea of fans leaving early, hurting recruiting? I know a few places that hardly sell out, and still get recruits.

As far as being loud and intimidating, do any of those schools have hardware like Alabama? When you never win, of course you are excited.

Alabama fans give a butt load of money to the University, which helps recruit top talent kids, get the bes coaching, gives them the best facilities, and the best chance to go pro. Do you think they care more about fan support or going pro?

BamaPokerplayer said:

Where are people getting the idea of fans leaving early, hurting recruiting? I know a few places that hardly sell out, and still get recruits.

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Quotes from players and recruits for starters.

It is generally a big advantage, the large crowds, A-Day, all of that. We've seen recruits specifically mention this, I think we've even had coaches mention this. You take them to the game to see not just what is on the field but the atmosphere.

You have to remember what Alabama is recruiting against though. They are recruiting against Ole Miss and Auburn which have umm... some suspicious stuff involved in recruiting. They are recruiting against some schools that offer more immediate playing time. In some cases, they are trying to get kids go further away from home.

So, what you have to understand is that Alabama is trying to be the best, not just good, or ok... but the best, and to get the very best kids that can go to any school in the country. You better believe that every little thing matters, you don't want that kid to leave the game with a lasting memory of looking up and seeing the team deserted in a big game. You want that kid to feel like if he moves away from his family and comes to Alabama that he'll be well supported and appreciated.

Each fan, on an individual basis doesn't matter much right? However, what if no one showed up? How much would it matter? Then you can take that and break it down into bits, and come to a fairly easy conclusion that their collective actions can have a sizable impact on some (not all) recruits. If I was recruiting against Alabama, you better believe I'd point this out, I've even seen pro players complain when the fans leave early (Miami Heat NBA finals come to mind) and tell the fans not to come back. They can't stand fans deserting them and for good reason.

Let's put it another way. Let's say the fans leaving early ultimately results in the net loss of one huge recruit. What's to say that's not the guy that makes a difference in a national title?

KrAzY3 said:

Quotes from players and recruits for starters.

It is generally a big advantage, the large crowds, A-Day, all of that. We've seen recruits specifically mention this, I think we've even had coaches mention this. You take them to the game to see not just what is on the field but the atmosphere.

You have to remember what Alabama is recruiting against though. They are recruiting against Ole Miss and Auburn which have umm... some suspicious stuff involved in recruiting. They are recruiting against some schools that offer more immediate playing time. In some cases, they are trying to get kids go further away from home.

So, what you have to understand is that Alabama is trying to be the best, not just good, or ok... but the best, and to get the very best kids that can go to any school in the country. You better believe that every little thing matters, you don't want that kid to leave the game with a lasting memory of looking up and seeing the team deserted in a big game. You want that kid to feel like if he moves away from his family and comes to Alabama that he'll be well supported and appreciated.

Each fan, on an individual basis doesn't matter much right? However, what if no one showed up? How much would it matter? Then you can take that and break it down into bits, and come to a fairly easy conclusion that their collective actions can have a sizable impact on some (not all) recruits. If I was recruiting against Alabama, you better believe I'd point this out, I've even seen pro players complain when the fans leave early (Miami Heat NBA finals come to mind) and tell the fans not to come back. They can't stand fans deserting them and for good reason.

Let's put it another way. Let's say the fans leaving early ultimately results in the net loss of one huge recruit. What's to say that's not the guy that makes a difference in a national title?

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Yeah, every little thing counts but I just don't think it is possible to have both, Krazy. We are different; that's why we are the best.

2003TIDE said:

That Coker INT didn't cause several 1000 people to get heat sickness and leave.

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I don't know... it certainly made me ill, LOL.

Of course message board posters (hardcore fans) would be amazed that someone would leave a game early like this.

A lot of people at the games, however, are more causal fans who don't mind leaving early, and in many cases the outcome of the game is not all that important.

Who knows, that may actually be the healthier attitude, but as for myself, I stayed till the end, and the loss ruined my weekend. I don't really have any hard feelings for those who left, though.


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This will be unpopular here, but football is entertainment to me. If people want to leave early because it is a bad game, bad weather or whatever, that is their business.