I hate Tennessee. But apparently a lot of other people hate them more than I do. Since I am fascinated by the emotions that overtake people with regards to sports, the Alabama – Tennessee rivalry is especially interesting. If you know what I’m talking about but prefer Baseball to football, check out the post "Victory!" by Scoplaw. If you like football, stick with me.
An lengthy ESPN article today discusses the dangers that are likely to arise today at Neyland Stadium. Here a few quotes that I found especially interesting:
"Emotions are so raw that fans with tickets on both sides have voiced concerns about possible violence in the stands at Neyland Stadium, and in surrounding tailgate areas."
"How did we get to the point where a caller to a Birmingham radio station a few weeks ago said that, if it came down to Tennessee vs. The Taliban, he couldn’t find a side to root for?"
"And then Fulmer pulled the SEC Media Days boycott stunt in late July, refusing to appear at the annual event in Birmingham. Apprised that he was going to be subpoenaed by Alabama fan-lawyer Tommy Gallion to testify in a civil suit by former Alabama coaches, Fulmer stayed in Knoxville and fired back — basically telling the state of Alabama to get over it."
Wow. That is serious. Although it is a long shot and everyone thinks that Tennessee is going to win, wouldn’t it be fun if they didn’t? I mean, they almost lost to Ole Miss last weekend. We should have beaten them. They have been very lucky the past couple weeks and I would like to think that their luck is going to run out soon. Apparently a lot of these bad feelings about Fulmer have to do with his involvement with Alabama’s NCAA sanctions for recruiting violations. But it is a lot more than that I think. Although I do think that the intensity of this hatred is a little more than I can muster right now (talk to me later about Auburn) – I think this last quote does a lot to explain the serious feelings:
‘But that’s college sports in the South, where in many states there are no pro franchises or much of anything else to dilute fans’ attention and passion. "There’s a bit of Southern machismo culture, and college football plays to that cultural trait," St. John said. "There’s a raw kind of quality to Southeastern Conference football that finds its expression in unmoderated language and gestures."’
Basically the bottom line is that people in Alabama and Tennessee don’t have anything else to feel strongly about. I mean, the Braves are the only pro team in the south that really anyone cares about all the time, and they are in Georgia anyway.
I love Saturdays in the fall. They make me happy. I guess I am just attracted to passion. Passion about anything. I don’t like the hate that goes along with it, but it isn’t hate of a person. It is just hate born of competition and love. I LOVE Georgia. And that is what brings out the hate of other teams that humiliate and defeat what I love. I like people who are passionate about something, because without passion life is pretty boring. Even though most passionate people are a little intense, maybe I’m a little intense as well. Sometimes I can’t turn it off.
the thin line between optimism and delusion... 
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