Tommy Tuberville’s former players range anywhere from bemused to disappointed over the candidate running to be Alabama’s next US Senator.
I’m not really sure why they don’t get it. He’s still recruiting. All that’s changed is he’s recruiting a different type of person.
I am so disappointed to learn that Nick Saban wasn’t the difference in the Alabama US Senate election.
Where’s your school spirit, Alabamians?
Filed under Nick Saban Rules, Political Wankery, Whoa, oh, Alabama
Maybe somebody knew what they were doing with this write-in instruction video.
The Moore-Jones Senate race has been entertaining, to say the least. The perfect capper would be if a Nick Saban write-in vote swung the election.
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UPDATE: Per the New York Times,
And a number of votes will almost certainly go to someone widely considered the most important man in the state, the University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban.
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UPDATE #2: What a country.
Filed under Nick Saban Rules, Political Wankery, Whoa, oh, Alabama
I swear, every time I read a story like this, I think of my favorite line from Nobody’s Fool.
At least no trees were harmed.
Filed under Auburn's Cast of Thousands, General Idiocy, Whoa, oh, Alabama
I bet Tahde Nation jumps all over this if ‘Bama ever comes up short in a game.
Alabama is 130th out of 130 FBS teams in a statistic called opponent penalties, which means officials are calling the fewest number of penalties against Alabama’s opponents compared to other teams in college football. If you need a trend: Alabama was last in college football in this category in 2016, 102nd in 2015, 123rd in 2014.
It’s gotta be some sort of conspiracy.
Filed under Whoa, oh, Alabama
When your team’s beaten its last two opponents by 122 points — “There are 51 FBS teams that still haven’t scored that many in 2017.” — the strength coach looks for things to do on the sideline, ’cause he’s getting bored.
Filed under Whoa, oh, Alabama
Well, this is a beaut.
The truly great thing about this is that he didn’t even manage to use the right font for the “A”.
That’s the Braves’ font. Bless his heart, as we like to say in these parts.
Filed under Political Wankery, Whoa, oh, Alabama
I mentioned the tailgating deal that Alabama recently entered into. There’s a follow up on some of the specific contract terms at Al.com worth sharing. Even McGarity might find some of them of interest:
— Perhaps the most interesting one was No. 16. The university wants no part in turning the Quad into a battle ground or a nonpartisan zone. It reads: “There are to be no opposing team logo’s (sic) displayed.” The second part of the listing seems like it would be harder to enforce. “No opposing team boisterous chanting or cheering will be allowed.”
— The uniform look of the tents in the middle of the quad isn’t a coincidence. The school “requires tents to be ALL WHITE.” (It’s in all caps in the contract). They can be no larger than 20×20. The company offer packages with tents of 10×10 and 20×20.
— “There shall be no alcohol exposed within the tailgate area,” reads the entirety of No. 14 of the list of contract specifications. Reading between the lines, it’s the red cup rule.
— The contract also states that the company can arrange for catering for delivery. And in bold lettering, it states “Bama Dining is the University’s caterer of choice.” (Bama Dining is the official food service provider on Alabama’s campus)
— No loudspeakers or any kind of amplified sound is not allowed. As with similar rules, the company is responsible for enforcing the rules set by the school by supervising the area its tents cover.
Sounds to me like if Georgia were interested in adapting something similar, it could both maintain most of the Michael Adams-imposed restrictions that currently exist and turn a few extra bucks. Add in a contract provision requiring the service provider to assume responsibility for keeping the designated tailgating area clean and you’d have a real win-win on your hands. At a price, of course, but what’s new about that?
Filed under It's Just Bidness, Whoa, oh, Alabama
Now there’s a shock: tailgating at Alabama is turning into a pricey affair.
Meticulously arranged in perfect rows of plastic canopies, the Quad on Alabama’s campus becomes its own temporary city on football Saturdays in the fall.
Unlike the densely-packed hodgepodge tapestry of the Grove at Ole Miss, this is the model of uniformity as required by the University of Alabama.
It’s also a big business — for both the school and the private company that choreographs the whole thing every week.
These prime tailgating spots aren’t first come, first served like elsewhere in the football mad SEC. Schools like Alabama bid out the rights to this select real estate between the Denny Chimes and Gorgas Library.
The Tailgate Guys, an Auburn-based company that’s expanded to a dozen schools, now has the contract. It bought Tuscaloosa’s Game Day Tents after last season and got the exclusive rights to Alabama’s Quad and Presidential Park, a small plot behind fraternity houses a block from Bryant-Denny Stadium.
With it, prices have changed for the 2017 season.
Gone are the basic packages that fans like Billy Stewart’s group used for years. Instead, the high-end offerings with taller price tags replaced the $1,000 season-long package Stewart shared with friends. He estimated a comparable setup with as many as nine tents would cost somewhere approaching $30,000 for the 2017 season.
Whoa. This sounds like a familiar complaint.
“They’ve just gotten to the point where everything is about money and they’re squeezing,” said Stewart, a Chattanooga resident and Alabama alumnus. “They’ve already squeezed all the rank and file.”
Tailgate Guys president Parker Duffey said this was a move they all but had to make.
“It’s unfortunate,” he said, “but at the same time, it definitely is in the best interest for the system out there.”
If by “system”, he means his company and the school, he’s got that right.
The business model for this evolving industry isn’t as simple as rolling out the tents and setting up tables.
“A significant percentage that goes back to the school,” Duffey said. “It’s definitely a good thing for the school. They earn some healthy revenue on that.”
A look at the contract the tent company has with the University of Alabama offers some insight into how this business works — and perhaps why $1,000 tents for seven home games might not help the bottom line for UA or the Tailgate Guys.
After amendments were made for 2017, the Tailgate Guys pay a total of $76,000 per game for the right to sell the packages. That adds up to $532,000 a season to break even just on the land.
The university also gets 30 percent of the Tailgate Guys sales over $1 million for the spots on the Quad and nearby Presidential Park. That percentage Alabama receives doubled from 15 percent to 30 percent before the 2016 season. The per-game rate also went up $10,000.
Jeez. The only thing that’s honestly surprising about any of this is that Butts-Mehre hasn’t monetized the primo tailgating experience in Athens yet. To me, that seems like a lot of money to leave off the table simply because Michael Adams hated tailgaters, but what do I know?
Filed under It's Just Bidness, Whoa, oh, Alabama
The Crimson Tide hasn’t faced a non-Auburn in-state opponent since 1944, and that doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon.
Filed under Whoa, oh, Alabama
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