Saban's comment on fans/Sugar bowl loss..

[Moby Dick]

"I want our fans to understand that when they don't have positive passion and energy for what we're trying to accomplish, then it affects everyone," Saban said. "Last year's team was a great example of that."

http://blog.al.com/rapsheet/2009/04/wha ... about.html



Sam....go get yer helmet..Saban needs ya. :wink:

[Moby Dick]

All I can say is that he'd better keep winning. If he starts sliding a little bit, 'Bama fans will be up his ass like lightning in a butter-slicked tunnel and refer back to what he's saying now..

I dont think winning will be a problem for Saban to be honest. The SEC West will be like the Big XII south, LSU and bama will fight it out for the west like OU and Texas fight it out for the south.

Altho...i would LOVE to see Ole Miss keep improving, getting better and compete legitimately for the west.

[Vito Corleone]

Yeah, it's a bit weird. I got into it with a couple of 'Bama fans over at TideFans because they seemed to think that "only" 26k showing up for OU's spring game was somehow disrespectful of Stoops and that they showed how much they loved Saban by turning out like 80k for their spring game.

Me, if I'm Saban, I'm pretty much good with feeling like people love me in Tuscaloosa after I count my $4 million per.

Anyhow, yeah, there's a circle that's feeding off itself there.

Wow, I'm going to defend OU fan. I don't know why, but I am.

When a fan base experiences as much success as the Oklahoma fan base has, going to something like a spring game loses it's luster. Lets face it the Alabama fans are starved for success and they now have a great program to back so of course they are going to be there in huge bunches.

I say, lets see their turnout (provided saban is still around) after 9 years and they have experienced the success that Oklahoma has. (I refuse to list all Oklahoma's success in the Stoops era)

I will say this, Texas fan over the last 10 years has become pretty complacent with our program that we don't show up big for things like the spring game anymore. I pretty much stopped going to games in 2002 because I got sick paying for season tickets for crappy OOC games against over-matched opponents. Though I did try and pick them back up in 2k5 but by then it was too late and I was relegated back to the upper deck. But who am I kidding, even if I got my old seats, as I've gotten older I have pretty much gotten set in my ways and probably wouldn't have gone anyways.

[King Crimson]

Nebraska drew 80,000 to see Callahan run his #1 offense against 3rd teamers and walk-ons for purely cosmetic numbers....and where did that get them?

Nebraska actually sells tickets to the game, most places it's a free day.

[M Club]

a lot of attention has been given to michigan's spring game recently only because dickrod is trying to turn it into an event. the stated goal is to break the spring game record. hardly anyone used to go when carr was running things, so the only real difference here is emphasis. that and whether or not the michigan weather agrees.

so ja, point: attendance at a spring game is a barometer of how a team with access to a large fan base treats it as a marketing opportunity, not of who has the best fans.

[indyfrisco]

Vito,

I enjoy going to the games for the gameday atmosphere, but to be honest, like you, I would much rather watch from home. You get the best seat in the house, DVR to pause/rewind at will and you can actually have a beer or high ball during the game without trying to sneak it in like a teenager.