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A-Day Attendance: The Blogosphere Chimes In

By Nico2.0

On Monday I posted links to various media reports on the A-Day game and the buzz about the attendance.

Over the last few days, many blogs took the opportunity to make stunned observations, bash or playfully tease Alabama for the record turnout. Pretty incredible how 92K showing up for a free game in Alabama makes an entire state mentally deficient, but 75K paying $5 admission at Ohio State almost passes without mention. There's no way I could provide links to them all, but here are excerpts from blogs ranging from the biggest to incredibly obscure.

One more note before we get going. PLEASE don't litter the comments sections of those that bashed Alabama with inflammatory comments. First of all, it's not worth the expenditure of effort and secondly, it just fuels the negative stereotypes when we fall for the baiting. I just assembled this list so you all can see the range of what's being said. Remember, we represent the school everywhere we go and identify ourselves as fans...even on the internet. If I might be so bold as to adapt the famous Gandhi quote to this situation: "When they ridicule you, respond with dignity and then you win."

Anyway, onto the recaps:

Might as well start with one of the heavy hitters of the blogging world, Deadspin and their post, "They Have a Love For Nick Saban That I Can't Understand":

Ninety-two thousand people showed up for a scrimmage. More than that, actually. The stadium holds 92,138, and there were people watching from the ramps. There were people sent away. From a game where the stakes were no higher than bragging rights between the Crimson team and the White team. Were people under the impression that Bear Bryant would be exhumed at halftime and coaching the Crimson team? I don't understand.

Check out the venom in the comments section. There are countless "jokes" about incest, dental care, poverty, education, etc. all while referring to Alabamians as having no class. Pot, meet kettle.

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Sunda Morning Quarterback, whose site I enjoy had this to say:

Sometimes the absurdity of reality renders parody obsolete. So I don't have anything to say about 92,000 selling out Bryant-Denny Stadium for a pointless scrimmage. It confirms everything I've ever known about the unprecedented frenzy in that state, and is reassuring in its way.

We'll give SMQ a free pass on this one as an SBN colleague and a Southern Miss fan...seeing as that's punishment enough.

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Rocky Top Talk`s Corn From a Jar chimed in too:

I vehemently argued last fall that any time one has the opportunity  to see a game at Neyland, one must go. Notice I said "game." This is practice man practice, and I can't see myself driving the over five hours it takes for me to get to Knoxville for that. I'll do it to see the Vols take on anybody from Florida to Idaho, but not for practice man practice.

Maybe Epps is right. Maybe that makes me less passionate. But maybe I'm just more realistic. And it couldn't be that Alabama fans are less realistic, could it?.

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ESDBS: We already linked to this one because of the podcast, but the jokes are good, so here it is again:

If you were to attempt the wave at your spring game, after great effort you might get a feeble ripple going two-thirds of the way around the stadium before it petered out in the bald patch of seats in the north endzone. And that's if you're lucky enough to get a good 30K to your game.

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Even some guy from Colorado that participated in the triathalon on Saturday is getting his digs in at the school and the state. I also wonder what grocery store they went to. Both groceries I go to have organic sections. I know, because I checked. I even found them on my own without having to ask.

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My favorite so far has to be from Mississippi State blog Hail Dear `Ole State:

And no, the Mississippi State spring game was not closed to the public. Or played in a secret location. It was right there at Scott Field -- just a short walk from Dudy-Noble where more than 10k watched a baseball game later that day.

Hopefully they'll forgive me for quoting their post in full.

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Donkey Carnival has this to offer:

92,000 people showed up for the spring game...Wal-mart must have been closed or the NASCAR satellite ticket on the fritz for such an outpouring of support to happen in a meaningless game. Surely the Tide fans realized that Saban is already married and can't be bred with hundreds of young 'Bama coeds to increase the future IQ of the state by creating a race of non-retarded normies.

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hogonsports.com observes the obvious:

What does it say about The United States sporting public that the NFL's draft is as important, if not more important, than the actual sporting events and playoff events of the other major sports leagues? What does it say when Alabama gets over 92,000 fans and Ohio State has over 75,000 fans attend their respective spring scrimmages and the NBA and NHL struggle to sell out arenas that hold around 20,000?

It says that we are a football country, dammit!

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Like I said, it's a small sampling, but it's always interesting to see what's being written about us.

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