(12-02-2022 01:13 PM)demiveeman Wrote: In most of my interactions with them, they've come across as more concerned about their place/closeness to the "inner circle" of UAB football rather than the well-being of the program and players. They can wrap it around their care for the players and program, but it's pretty obvious to me what the motivation is.
Ever since the team's letter leaked on Tuesday, I've been thinking about a story, and this made me think about it again. I think it fits in well right here.
It was the end of the SMU game, 2005. They'd just gone 80 yards in 4 plays, threw a 30yd Hail Mary at the buzzer for the win. (Sorry to bring this up for those that were there...)
I had graduated already, but was still a young, dumb twenty-something who had been in the brown water. I lost my temper, as I was prone to do back in those days. Voiced my displeasure with Watson Brown very loudly and colorfully in the stands. Not my proudest moment. But it ended up leading to a confrontation with the parent of a player.
This guy had been a football player at Auburn back in the day, think he lettered. His son was the starting running back for UAB at the time. He was a big supporter of Watson, and he'd be damned if some kid talked bad about him. We got into an argument, and I told him to his face that I'd be here supporting UAB long after he was gone and never going to games anymore. That was 17 years ago, and I don't think he's been to a game in nearly all of those because his son was a junior that year. In any event, he tossed me down about 5 rows at Legion Field, and me being younger and more resilient I just bounced back up and went on my way.
I thought of that story this week because it is a reminder of things that are permanent and things that aren't. Some of us are UAB fans. Some out there are what you described- they aren't fans of UAB, they just want to feel close to an inner circle, to make themselves seem important, or some such BS. Somebody else used the phrase personality cult, and I think that's apt. A lot of the people complaining and wishing Vincent had stayed are like that dad who tossed my ass down the stadium. They won't be here in a few years, which means they weren't really UAB fans to begin with.