As Robbie & I drove in the rain on our way to Tuscaloosa, I began to have second thoughts on if going to the game was such a great idea. I was the one really pushing us to go. I just felt like it was only fair if I was going to lug Jake to so many Auburn games, he needed to go to at least 1 Alabama game. Thankfully, it completely turned out to be a great idea (or at least for me:))
We had fun tailgating with friends before the game. Once in the stadium, even though we were sitting in the Auburn section, we had "that" Alabama fan sitting behind us. The one drinking heavily, yelling loudly & a complete know-it-all. I cringed as he bragged about all things Alabama & talked horribly about Auburn. It was embarrassing as all of the Auburn fans sitting around us gave this 1 Alabama fan such horrible looks, which he was oblivious to. Robbie kept looking at me & I knew he was wanting to either tell the guy off or punch him. I tried reminding Robbie that I have to sit through the Auburn games listening to "his" teams' fans. And that last year I had to listen to the same crap when Alabama played Auburn. When that argument stopped working, I reminded him that I had no idea where the Tuscaloosa jail was if he got arrested & I would be left all alone. I must admit though, this guy was so annoying, I was even hoping Auburn would make a good play just to shut him up. Just when I thought that Robbie was going to lose it, he proved why he is such a great fan and all-around person. He turned around & complemented Alabama on a play. Robbie took a few jabs at the guy, but was able to do it in a way that the guy thought it was funny. Other Auburn fans around us began to follow Robbie's lead. The guy toned it down & become somewhat tolerable. He even said a few nice things about the Auburn team. It prevented what was becoming a horrible situation from escalating. (At least until the end of the game when an obnoxious Auburn fan a few rows ahead of us began doing the Florida gator chomp at the guy, which he in return unleashed on her. They both had it coming.) I was very proud of Robbie for how he handled the situation. Plus, he stayed & cheered for Auburn until the very end.
Robbie & I both agree that it is important to be a gracious winner & gracious loser and to always be a faithful loyal fan. Even though it is more fun being on the winning side. I do have to admit it was nice to be in the stands watching all the bama fans & players celebrate. 6 years of finger jokes & taunting is a long time. As this football season comes close to an end, I look forward to hoping Alabama pulls off an upset & beats Florida and Robbie is now looking forward to Auburn's swim season. And we both look forward to next season introducing our little guy to this crazy obsession & love of college football.
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