In late July, four members of the Kent State football team, Alabama's opponent in the season opener, came down to help rebuild Tuscaloosa. They spent a couple of days working in the 100+ degree heat rebuilding houses that had been destroyed. (See a video about the trip here.) It was a really classy gesture and showed that while for a few hours on a Saturday in the fall they might be committed enemies, somethings are more important than football.
Fast forward to very early September, in the week before the season opener. Alabama fans begin to hear about the trip down by Kent State football players and suddenly my Twitter and Facebook feeds were full of Bama fans encouraging their fellow fans not to boo Kent State when they enter the field to start the game.
Apparently it worked because the Alabama faithful, who usually lustily boo the opposing teams and then chant /sing at the end of games that they just "beat the hell out of you", instead rose to their feet and gave a standing ovation to the Kent State football team. I don't think I can say it better than the athletic director of Kent State said in The Birmingham News:
To top it all off, the standing ovation our team received upon entering the stadium Saturday morning gave all of us Flashes fans in attendance goose bumps. It was something unheard of at a college football game, and speaks volumes about the citizens of Alabama and Crimson Tide fans everywhere.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for opening your arms to our players in July and again to our team and fans this past weekend. It was an experience none of us will soon forget, and even more important in this time of extreme negativity, it was a perfect illustration of all that can be right with college athletics.
