Shorter grumpy Nick Saban: “hey, you kids, get on my lawn.”
- Bloviation for the Dawgnation
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“We remember the Sugar Bowl, I think it my junior year of high school, we let Alabama beat us twice,” Brinson said of a team that also lost to the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship game. “We’re not letting Alabama beat us twice. In the Sugar Bowl in 2018, they… thought they should have been in the playoffs and lost to Texas.” -- AB-H, 12/27/23
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Get The Picture · Bloviation for the Dawgnation
Get The Picture 
Spoken like a man that needed a presidential text alert.
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To Bama’s long snapper: PSU v. OSU is an apple; Bama v. Directional La School is an orange. Learn the difference.
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As someone raised by experts in the field, guilt would probably be a better tactic here. For example:
“Maybe we haven’t done enough around here to earn the students support? We’ll just keep working and trying and hope that, as a result, the students will see that we’re building a football program that they feel is deserving their support. Obviously, judging from the number of empty seats in the student section, we’ve got a lot more work to do in that area.”
Of course, Saban only has one speed and it’s permanently set at “asshole.”
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11 AM kickoff against a cupcake opponent on parents weekend. I can’t imagine why students wouldn’t want to come.
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The decline of football is going to be fun. You just have to know what to look for.
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We have the same issue.
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I get it that it was hot in the sun, but it was Tennessee and the student sections in 300 and 600 (and patches in 100) were devoid of bodies.
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The north stands are simply brutal to watch games from in September and October because of the heat. I would like to see us put an awning over at least some portion of the upper deck on the north stands – Mizzou has one.
I am going to sacrifice my 40 yard line north stands seats next year that I have held for 25 years so I can move to the south and get out of the sun.
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An awning would do no good for the angle of the sun on an Athens Saturday afternoon. In 2012, I moved to the north side for one season when I added a 3rd ticket. I was told it would be under the overhang of the north club level. We never were out of the sun.
I specifically said I don’t care where my seats were the following year as long as I was on the south side.
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October is not bad. Once the humidity drops, it’s ok even if it’s warm out. This year is hotter than normal for this time of the season.
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This wasn’t a problem when we were in school. We were happy to be there, and we sucked.
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I’d be interested to know what time period you’re referencing.
Since this is football blog, I’ll use a football analogy. Currently, the average GPA for incoming freshmen is 4.00 and the average ACT score is 29. Many of those freshmen are coming out of the best and toughest schools in Atlanta and all over the Southeast. UGA is now full of 5-Star academic talent, and many of the classes, at least on South campus, are graded on a curve so you better hope you don’t have three Foundation Fellows sitting in your class. All of this to say that the level effort required to compete against the talent level in an average UGA classroom is immense. So if a student has worked that hard all week and decides to skip a noon kickoff nonconference game that would require them to sit in the direct sun for four hours in 90+ heat, they’ve earned it. If the university really cared about their attendance it wouldn’t let a television station decide the time of kickoff.
Also, most of your 5-Star academic talent had absolutely no interest in football to begin with.
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Is it hotter now? I get global warming and all that, but I don’t recall this problem when I was a student back in the middle ages. Heck, I don’t recall leaving until the band quit playing (or the booze ran out – but that rarely happened).
It just doesn’t seem to be the same priority that it was. My niece went to UGA a few years ago. I think she went to some of the games, but I know she showed up late and left early. It was more to be seen, than to see the game.
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Yes, it’s hotter. Climate change. What half the people burning alive in the stands still refuse to acknowledge.
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Except we have students who wanted tickets who did not get them because the student section was sold out. There is more demand then there are tickets maybe they open the gates and the tickets are issued game day to students first come first served.
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That’s actually not true. Tickets are allocated to student IDs based on preseason orders. Seating is general admission. 1st years pretty much are guaranteed the full season. You know before the season starts what games you have a student ticket for.
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Yes you do and we have students get tickets and not show up. I have known of graduate students who wanted tickets but did not because they don’t have the hours to get them via the system used today. The system is flawed.
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I agree the system is flawed, but those who get tickets that don’t show up lose future priority for home and away games. I make sure my students release their tickets when they know there’s a game they aren’t going to attend. The real problem is the student who comes in during the 1st quarter and turns around and leaves in the 2nd quarter (or earlier).
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I get it, he isn’t all wrong. But given the half-time scores, the helplessness of the opponents they have played thus far, and the hassle factor of attending games, it is understandable. The opportunity to attend a home game is only about 6 times a year, and a couple of those are usually competitive most years. At least the fans show up for the 1st half, many programs would love to have just that.
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My question is why does he care? This isn’t the first time. It’s not as if the fans won’t be there when it matters.
Does he think the back ups play is impacted by this?
He’s complained about the fans not showing up, leaving early, being over confident against Utah, it goes on and on.
Everyone deals with fan apathy for one reason or another. Look how much you’d have to spend to see LSU this weekend and Ben Griffin even on the secondary market. Sad!
Is the idea that only losing justifies indifference and winning demands your attendance? Anyway, I don’t get it.
Maybe it’s: look what nattys let you get away with? Remember when you media folks called me a liar! Now I’m Emperor! Ha ha!!!
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I am not saying it is anything new, for him or other coaches. Saban is a detail freak, as is Kirby, no way he misses something that is pointed out as a pimple, flaw, imperfection. Now he can control the 20 somethings he is in charge of, but foolish if he thinks he can mandate the half inebriated, non-obligated college students. He isn’t foolish so he uses the media and older ticket holders to “fan shame” them.
There are so many factors: non-competitive games, weather, hassle factor, cost, TV availability, multitude of attractive options, etc., and the irreversible trend of declining attendance of live fan attendance. But for him to not address it would be out of character. What else is remaining on his long list of things to work on?
The players work almost 300 days for these few Saturdays in the Fall, sure they want a full house paying homage to their efforts. Surprised this is getting so much attention, but his weekly press conferences rarely go unnoticed. He said it so they will do better against Mizzou, then slide back in the direction of apathy whenever it suits them.
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A half-empty stadium is a bad look for the recruits in attendance, whether it is 11:00am vs. Louisiana-Directional or 6:00pm vs. Tennessee.
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That’s funny. I remember seeing those recruit seats empty after halftime. I doubt they noticed how the NE corner was barren since they were no longer in their own seats. Perhaps, they could re-sell those seats as 2nd-half-only tickets?
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I haven’t noticed, but do the recruits even sit outside and watch the game? I figure most of them hang out in the Taj Mahal recruiting lounge instead with A/C and free food and drinks.
For all of the “fan friendly” benefits of the west end zone, the AA is slowly choking them all off. After the first two games were open access, the bridge gate was shut off to everyone but students and ADA access only (I had used it the first two games). The “event staff” run people off the plaza as soon as possible. To use the refillable water stations (which are great), you have to buy a $4 water bottle first.
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I really hope there is a ticket holder who is on the fence about going, but opts to go to the game for the sake of the recruits. That person would be officially the biggest loser out of the 92K+ at Sanford.
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LOL…agreed.
I can’t tell you how sick I am of hearing grown men obsess over high schoolers. Obsessing over college kids is bad enough.
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Saban’s first half game plan has been score as many points as possible. His second half game plan has been to get his defensive backups as many snaps as possible, and that means the 3rd string QB handing off to the 4th string RB on telegraphed runs. And then the defensive backups blowing gap assignments and such as they learn the defense.
It’s a bloopers reel. And it’s not exactly entertaining.
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This is why I chuckle when some fans wonder why we don’t enclose the west end or continue with the 600 section around the east end. They don’t see it yet. I don’t see any large stadium expanding anytime soon. Bama already has a plan to cull back seats, and I think aTm is going to realize they made a mistake with huge expansion. On another note, I believe declining attendance will be the thing to change the SEC’s mind on beer sales.
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I hope they never change their mind on beer sales
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Texas is enclosing their south end zone, but with lux suites so that current seating capacity won’t really change. I would be in favor of this for some stadiums. For Sanford, I’d take full chairs over benches even if capacity goes down.
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This kind of reminds me of the Regions Bank commercial. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Saban, Yeah I probably am”
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That was an inspiring and impassioned speech Nick. When you put it that way, how are these students not falling all over themselves to get to a game?
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when I left the game had much to do with how good looking and /or “fun” my date was ….but generally I consider it bad form to leave early….just my opinion. These kids work their ass off 25 hours a week …I can be hot an hour after its decided to show support.
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Pay no attention to this canary in the coal mine! Invest in your future entertainment and increase your Hartman Fund points today!
It’s in no way a pyramid scheme. Down the road you’ll be glad you donated all those dollars.
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I scrolled through the comments looking for all the Sabanphiles jumping to defend their god. I’m a little disappointed.
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People (fans, students, faculty, etc.) leaving a sporting venue early speaks volumes to the culture of a university.
Are you not entertained? Hello, gladiators. Hello to the mob.
Apparently not!
Or you not respectful for the work, commitment, and effort of a student athlete in a sporting event on campus?
Nope, sorry, that means nothing to me, I’m leaving.
Or you concerned someone will hear you say something deemed inappropriate, distasteful, embarrassing? Or you concerned your vehicle upon your return has been vandalized if you do not get out of there quick enough?
Yes.
Long term solution. Do not go. Save the money and time. Invest it somewhere else.
There is a national trend attendance at all football games is down…high school, college, pros. Many of us think pro football will be gone in a decade.
Cost. Bad behavior. Not convenient. Not safe. Etc.
Best to stay home and enjoy in a better environment.
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1) TV is king.
2) I was at the Tennessee game, and it was absurdly hot. Not September 1 hot, but still really hot. There was no breeze where I was sitting (east end zone) despite the flag nearly standing at attention for parts of the game and barely any cloud cover in the hottest part of the day with a heat index in the mid-90’s. At the half, my entire section headed for shade somewhere and the temporary relief of paying $4 for a bottled water.
3) The game was boring. It was Tennessee, and I will enjoy watching UGA beat anyone in orange, but the actual plays of the game were mostly uninteresting. There weren’t many big plays. There were long stretches when seemingly nothing happened. UGA’s style of play is to suffocate its opposition like a boa constrictor, squeezing until the other team can no longer fight before claiming victory. That’s a successful strategy when you are so clearly more talented, but it isn’t actually entertaining to watch them strangle another over-matched opponent to death.
5) The gameday experience is pretty great outside the stadium and pretty bland inside the stadium. Tailgating is still as good as you make it, and there are some really impressive setups. Inside the stadium is about as uninteresting as it can be. Plus you have TV timeouts every time someone has to sneeze on the field.
6) Combine these ingredients, and the number of times I go to the games will become fewer and fewer. I had plans to go to a couple more games this year, but after last Saturday, I’ve decided to pass. The comfort of my living room, basically being able to continue my tailgate through the game instead of pausing the best part of the day to suffer through a game mentally and physically, just is too hard to beat.
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Totally agree with all of this, plus, I live in California, so, not going to many games 🙂
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The TV timeouts even with the egg timer on the field are becoming unbearable. A sport that takes 80 minutes of clock time shouldn’t take 3 1/2 hours to play. There aren’t enough clock stoppages especially with the revised clock rules to make the game take this long. It’s not even the length of the TV timeouts … it’s the number of them.
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Oh how we long for the days of Dooley and Russell.
I formation and a cloud of dust, and the wide tackle six.
And students were fully dressed.
Those were the days.
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Yes, stay home watch the game.
Review Code Section 199A.
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What a narcissist. Hundreds of millions of people do wonderful things every day without the applause of thousands or even of 10. Understanding that is being an adult.
Times may be changing about football attitudes. It’s possible to get drunk and chase women without going to a football game. Or it is possible the 40,000 students are actually getting an education and developing a wider appreciation of the world. A world that recognizes spending six hours watching football is moronic. Keep in mind that maybe 8 billion people on earth don’t give a shit about American football. With all the damn tv commercial breaks interrupting the game i’m Slowly joining them.
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I don’t think this had anything to do with the students or recruits and everything to do with getting the headlines off of the Tua vs. Hurts issue.
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Don’t like it? Don’t schedule cupcakes. Easy! If Smart pulls this BS… Ugh.
I mean, we need to win a couple championships before the fan base will excuse and rationalize everything thing the coach does.
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