Why Do People in The South Love College Football So Much??

[brahmabull117]

I've always been curious about this




I understand places that don't have pro teams, but even places like Florida seem to care more about college than anything else. Why??

[HoldEmHook!!]

The only way I can explain my passion for college football and the Alabama Crimson Tide is, it instilled in us at birth. when you are born there is no other road for a person. as soon as you can talk you either say Roll Tide or W_ _ E_ _ _ _. Period, thats it. I grew up Rolling with the Tide, Fall football meant family get togethers & BBQ's out of this world. Old, young, male, female, black, white, When you see a stranger wearing the crimson and white you are right at home saying "Roll Tide" and they in turn reply the same. Growing up with all the tradition of rooting with all your might, pulling your team through a close victory, thinking the shirt you wore or your seat on a certain couch was the factor that gave your team just enough mojo to be victoriuos, is just part of the mystique, and part of the guilt in defeat. Its bragging rights for the rest of the year.

When football season comes to an end then the season of recruiting starts and the pain staking countdown to that awesome September day when it starts over again. Its the greatest sport in the world and am feel privelidged to call the greatest college footbal team of all time my team....Roll Tide!!!!!

[brahmabull117]

The only way I can explain my passion for college football and the Alabama Crimson Tide is, it instilled in us at birth. when you are born there is no other road for a person. as soon as you can talk you either say Roll Tide or W_ _ E_ _ _ _. Period, thats it. I grew up Rolling with the Tide, Fall football meant family get togethers & BBQ's out of this world. Old, young, male, female, black, white, When you see a stranger wearing the crimson and white you are right at home saying "Roll Tide" and they in turn reply the same. Growing up with all the tradition of rooting with all your might, pulling your team through a close victory, thinking the shirt you wore or your seat on a certain couch was the factor that gave your team just enough mojo to be victoriuos, is just part of the mystique, and part of the guilt in defeat. Its bragging rights for the rest of the year. When football season comes to an end then the season of recruiting starts and the pain staking countdown to that awesome September day when it starts over again. Its the greatest sport in the world and am feel privelidged to call the greatest college footbal team of all time my team....Roll Tide!!!!!

Alabama is understandable cause you guys have nothing else, I'm talking about places like Georgia that have pretty good pro teams

[BernardMadoff]

Alabama is understandable cause you guys have nothing else, I'm talking about places like Georgia that have pretty good pro teams

Their fans of those pro teams too.

[brahmabull117]

Their fans of those pro teams too.

yea but it's not the same (not by a longshot)



University of Illinois was a great team about 10 years ago or so...nobody here really cared about them with the Bears being a possible playoff team. People in Georgia care about UG even when they suck

[UNCGQ]

I understand places that don't have pro teams, but even places like Florida seem to care more about college than anything else. Why??

Florida hasn't really been home to a slew of pro sports championships. It's a long time since the Dolphins' glory days and most of their pro teams have been a joke for most of their existence.

Anyway, back to the topic, in order to be a passionate sports fan (such as the 'since birth' example) you not only need a team, but you also need a rival.

Although there are southern pro sports teams, there aren't any real rivalries among them. Panthers/Falcons? New Orleans/Tampa Bay? Braves/anybody?

Alabama/Auburn - yes
Duke/North Carolina - yes
Texas/Texas A&M - yes

Just a few of the million examples.

College sports are also bigger because the state schools really matter, and in most cases, there's the flagship school and the 'other' school to be it's natural rival (often the Ag/Tech state school). Pick a side and get to it.

For example, when you live in NC, often the bigger Rivalry is UNC/NCSU simply because you have to work and be around the rival's fans every minute of the day. Dook has fans, sure. But NCSU has many more alum walking around and a lot more fans to give you crap every time your school loses, every time their school wins, etc. So in those southern states where there are many natural rivals, you're constantly talking smack back and forth. Miami Heat/Atlanta Hawks? Not so much.

The other thing to be said for college vs. pro rivalries are, often, it's your school in all sports, year round. There are plenty of people who might be UT football fans and UK basketball fans, but you're a lot more loyal to a school when you have to spend a season enduring the sport they're gawdawful in waiting for the season that they're good in (I attended UNC for example).



I'm sure a sociologist could explain it (and somebody already has I'm sure). As somebody who lived his entire life in the south and moved to the NE Corridor, it was night and day. College sports (except for Penn State) didn't exist. In college I had more people wake up still drunk from the party the night before than attend BC basketball games.

[falconticket]

We love all football. College / pro/ any. We play it watch it and bet on it.

[jjax107]

I've always been curious about this




I understand places that don't have pro teams, but even places like Florida seem to care more about college than anything else. Why??

This good question Brahma, in my opinion is complicated and a number of reasons why we love College more in the South opposed to pro:

1. Religion (Bible Belt)- Most of your pro teams play on Sunday. If you were to ask a Southerner today is this the reason they dont prefer pro teams, of course thed say no. But its deep ingrained in subconcious and deep in tradition of the South. Its been said, thats the reason Birmingham and lots of places in South will never have pro team because people wouldnt come to game because of church and "Church people" wont allow it lol

2. Southern Culture- in Southern culture from Atlanta to New Orleans, marching bands have big tradition. From the slaves, to the Confederates. Southerners take pride in live music and marching bands, it goes all the way back. And within many traditional marching band songs if you pay attention are still "Old South" lyrics from the glory days of "Dixie"...Lol pro teams dont have this

3. Loyalty/Stability- pro teams can have player one year and he'll be gone to a rival team the next etc. No matter how tough it gets, Its Southern culture to be loyal to your job, your family, your Church, your spouse etc. And most of the South is considered "family oriented" as opposed to a NY, Miami, LA, etc. Its one of reasons Nick Saban says he left Miami for Alabama. And most Southern states are small population wise: Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina , Arkansas, Kentucky etc. And in small states like these, most people attend the more affordable State universities. So theres a loyalty and comraderie. Theres a type of innocence to college sports in comparison to pro sports...

Of course theres always exceptions, but this is my general opinion from my experiences living in Atlanta, CAlifornia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and now living back in the place I was born....Sweet Home Alabama

[UNCGQ]

most people attend the more affordable State universities. So theres a loyalty and comraderie. Theres a type of innocence to college sports in comparison to pro sports...

I was thinking this as well. Southerns pride themselves as being 'plain spoken' and self-identify a lot less with athletes that make millions of dollars a year playing sports as opposed to the 'chaste and innocent student athlete' that is the QB for their state institution.

I mean, you even see some of the push back in the last ten years of NASCAR. When the big money started coming in and it went mainstream, a lot of the die-hard, tradition fans either got out or let it take a lesser part of their lives. In my head the post-Earnhardt/Elliott/Allison generation of fans for example with Gordon being that bridge to the newer generation.

And to touch on the religion aspect briefly. There is something to that, even if it's more of a 'scheduling' issue than a conscious one.

There's a lot of people who will be three sheets to the wind at the 'Georgia' (insert any school here) tailgate on Saturday but won't drink a drop on Sunday (where in places you still can't buy on Sunday). Combine that with church getting out at noon, pro football will suffer some in terms of folks who would 'make it a weekend' to attend their pro football team as opposed to going to their college team's game on Saturday (at the end of the day it's still football and southerners love football).

[jjax107]

I was thinking this as well. Southerns pride themselves as being 'plain spoken' and self-identify a lot less with athletes that make millions of dollars a year playing sports as opposed to the 'chaste and innocent student athlete' that is the QB for their state institution.

I mean, you even see some of the push back in the last ten years of NASCAR. When the big money started coming in and it went mainstream, a lot of the die-hard, tradition fans either got out or let it take a lesser part of their lives. In my head the post-Earnhardt/Elliott/Allison generation of fans for example with Gordon being that bridge to the newer generation.

And to touch on the religion aspect briefly. There is something to that, even if it's more of a 'scheduling' issue than a conscious one.

There's a lot of people who will be three sheets to the wind at the 'Georgia' (insert any school here) tailgate on Saturday but won't drink a drop on Sunday (where in places you still can't buy on Sunday). Combine that with church getting out at noon, pro football will suffer some in terms of folks who would 'make it a weekend' to attend their pro football team as opposed to going to their college team's game on Saturday (at the end of the day it's still football and southerners love football).

very well said