Iron Bowl 75

[Tiger Wench]

Iron Bowl 75: Auburn vs. Alabama rivalry is an uncivil war
Published: Sunday, November 21, 2010, 5:50 AM
 Jon Solomon -- The Birmingham News

The Iron Bowl rivalry used to consume David Housel, Auburn's former athletics director and longtime publicist. It was, as he puts it today, "the driving force of my life, as sad as it is to say."

Housel wouldn't leave his office until he called Alabama's sports information department and got no answer, signifying that he was working harder than his counterparts. Nothing mattered more than beating Alabama, even if it cost Housel friends.

But in 2006, 50 years after watching his first Iron Bowl, Housel eased up. He went to New York and saw, appropriately, "Les Miserables" as the Iron Bowl was played -- and learned Auburn had won only by seeing a score on Broadway.

"It was like a weight off me. It felt kind of strange," Housel said. "I'm very happy when Auburn wins. But as I now know, I'm the same person on Friday that I will be on Sunday."

This week, for the 75th time, the Iron Bowl looms. It transcends football, for better and for worse, and can divide and unite state residents like nothing else.

"Alabama-Auburn is a cultural war," said CBS commentator Tony Barnhart, a longtime observer of the Iron Bowl. "They just use football to fight it."

That raises this question: Has the rivalry surrounding the state's biggest sports event gone too far in its nastiness? And what does that say about the state's sports fans?

Here are some views from a variety of perspectives.

The psychologists

When Rosanna Guadagno moved from California to the University of Alabama as an assistant psychology professor in 2006, she was surprised by the rivalry's intensity. She quickly got swept up by it.

Through post-game surveys and controlled laboratory studies, Guadagno researched how Alabama fans react to wins and losses.

In the psychology world, the phenomenon is labeled BIRGing (Basking in Reflected Glory) and CORFing (Cutting Off Reflected Failure). Most research concludes sports fans associate themselves with winners (BIRG) and disassociate from losers (CORF).

"Our die-hard fans (at Alabama) don't CORF," Guadagno said. "They define themselves as we won and we lost. It's explained by self-esteem and how much we like ourselves. When the die-hard fans lose, it's painful and they don't like themselves as much."

The Iron Bowl can be unhealthy because it reinforces the Us vs. Them concept of grouping the world, rather than accepting people for who they are, Guadagno said. Her research shows patriotism and religion also have similar divisions.

"Personally, one of the things I really like about football fandom is the way it cuts across ethnic lines," she said. "I think it helps for (easing) racial tensions."

Doug Hankes, director of Auburn student counseling services and the athletic department's sports psychology consultant, finds that the most passionate fans in this state often never attended their favorite university.

"There's a feeling of, 'I'm a better person because of that connection,' and there's the escapism part of it, too," Hankes said. "You don't have to worry about all the other stresses in our lives."

When Auburn loses, Hankes finds some students become depressed.

"But I think people view the rivalry as more extreme from the outside looking in," Hankes said. "Those of us who have grown up in Alabama kind of get it and it's hard for outsiders to understand. We kind of lose our perspective."

The media

Outsiders who wish to criticize the state's fans for losing perspective certainly have examples they can cite. When the 2000 Iron Bowl was held the day that results of the presidential recount were announced, Birmingham's CBS affiliate obtained special permission not to pre-empt the game with election coverage.

Paul Finebaum equates the fans' passion to politics, where liberals and conservatives try to destroy each other. Finebaum's popular radio show, which is now syndicated nationally, draws battle lines, sometimes viciously.

"I would say the show contributes to the rivalry being unhealthy because it is a meeting place of everything that is really bad about college football," Finebaum said. "I'm not going to run away from that. I know what I hear every day. There was a time where you would try to moralize on the air. We're beyond that point."

Finebaum said the hatred starts on the Internet and flows over to radio.

"There's a phrase in politics: 'It's not about the extremes, it's about the middle and the undecided,'" he said. "The average guy who gets off work at 4:30 and picks up 20 to 40 minutes of the show every night frames his view of this rivalry by some lunatic calling in. So I think the impression becomes even more extreme."

Finebaum said he "acts responsibly" if needed and is more moderate than he used to be. "There were times when you had to stoke the fires. Today, you don't have to because it's so intense anyways."

At al.com, the online home of The Birmingham News, The Press-Register of Mobile and The Huntsville Times, not a day goes by without similar malicious and anonymous comments from fans.

Bob Sims, director of content for al.com, said users can report bad behavior and a third-party contractor also observes. Users who violate terms for posting comments can have their accounts frozen for 24 hours or be banned.

"We go to great efforts to keep the conversation fair and inviting and informative," Sims said. "Against the backdrop of all the conversation going on at websites and talk shows, I do wonder if we have sort of lost the heart of what college sports is about." But, Sims added, "I obviously have a prejudice because I want people looking at the website and the conversation that goes on between fans is very, very, very important and often very healthy."

The students

Last Tuesday, 48 Auburn students and administrators traveled to Tuscaloosa for Better Relations Day. It's been an annual event since 1948, when the football series was renewed after being suspended. Student Government Association representatives at both schools met to discuss joint initiatives.

The SGAs sponsored gubernatorial debates together this year. Since 1994, Alabama and Auburn have collected almost 2 million pounds of food during an annual food drive.

Auburn SGA President Kurt Sasser said he and his Alabama counterpart, James Fowler, conduct friendly football trash-talk by e-mail but mainly learn from each other.

Students can set the tone for the rivalry, Fowler said. "The student section is so visible at games," he said. "How we act can impact the adults."

Sasser grew up a huge Auburn fan in Sheffield amid mostly Alabama fans. Whenever Auburn lost the Iron Bowl, he dreaded going to church or school in the coming days because of the ridicule he would receive. He struggled to explain why he takes defeats so personally.

"That's a good question, because I'm not the one playing," he said. "I think it's my deep, deep love for Auburn University. I'm the guy that's been coming to games with my dad and my mom as long as I can remember. Auburn is kind of like my big brother. No one messes with my big brother."

The presidents

Even if an Auburn or Alabama president wanted to, the Iron Bowl is impossible to ignore.

"Football is the prism through which a remarkable number of intelligent people view the university," former Alabama President Andrew Sorensen said. "To deny that is to bury your head in the sand."

Sorensen said Iron Bowl games played in Tuscaloosa during his tenure from 1996 to 2002 often produced more arrests than any other Alabama game.

"This is not peculiar to Alabama and Auburn, but it seems that when one team wins many of the fans feel it's imperative to gloat publicly and to express very derogatory language about the opposing team," he said. "It gets nasty."

When Alabama lost the Iron Bowl, Sorensen would receive e-mails from fans saying the president should be ashamed of himself. Board members would "chew my ear off" after Iron Bowl defeats, Sorensen said.

In an attempt to promote civility, Sorensen once suggested to then-Auburn President William Muse a joint pre-game tailgate. "He discussed that with some of his trustees and thought it was a terrible idea," Sorensen said.

Instead, Sorensen and Muse set up a reception in Montgomery for state legislators to meet the coaches at the time, Tommy Tuberville and Dennis Franchione, and to hear the coaches speak about higher education.

"The attendance would have been pretty sparse without the coaches," Sorensen said. "Each coach gave a very inspiring talk about how important public schools are, K through 12 and in college. I regard that as a high point in my time with the rivalry."

Sorensen has experienced Florida-Florida State, South Carolina-Clemson (he was there during an on-field brawl) and is beginning to understand Ohio State-Michigan as senior vice president for development at Ohio State.

"I honestly believe that the intensity of Alabama-Auburn is higher than any other," Sorensen said. "If you come up with a suggestion to ratchet that down, I hope you share it with Bob Witt."

Alabama President Robert Witt said in a statement that he enjoys "the friendly competition." There is a "great deal of respect" between the universities, he wrote, and they collaborate on projects.

For Auburn President Jay Gogue, a Georgia native, the Iron Bowl took a backseat to Auburn vs. Georgia when he was an Auburn undergrad.

"I probably have not been consumed (by the Iron Bowl)," Gogue said. "What I like is both schools are ranked in the top 50 (academically). The competition between institutions has probably made us both better academically."


The changed man
Don't get David Housel wrong. Auburn's former publicist and athletics director still loves much about the Iron Bowl rivalry.

"Yes, it can divide, but you can also look at this as representing the very best (the state of) Alabama has when the teams get together," Housel said. "The interesting thing is there's very rarely bad blood between the players."

Housel believes the rivalry became more respectful in recent decades due to the game finally coming to Auburn in 1989 and more balanced results. Since 1982, Auburn leads the series 16-12; prior to that, Alabama won 19 of 23 games.

"Balance gives new perspective," Housel said. "Once both sides know nothing lasts forever, then you can enjoy the game as it should be."

Yet Housel hears stories of employers who won't hire someone simply because the person attended Alabama or Auburn. He knows relationships have ended due to this game; he has lost friends due to harsh words both given and received.

Housel believes the only way to make the Iron Bowl rivalry more civil is to move the game to the middle of the season. But he acknowledges the public will never stand for that because it would lessen the magnitude of the game.

"The real problem with this game is the fear of losing is greater than the expectation of winning," Housel said. "People internalize the outcome too much and think if my team beats your team, that means I'm a better guy."

Housel, now 64, finally reached a different conclusion in 2006 when he traded the Iron Bowl for "Les Miserables." After 50 years of being consumed by the rivalry, he said, "some people would say I grew up."

[Token]

Iron Bowl 75: Auburn vs. Alabama rivalry is an uncivil war
Published: Sunday, November 21, 2010, 5:50 AM
 Jon Solomon -- The Birmingham News

The Iron Bowl rivalry used to consume David Housel, Auburn's former athletics director and longtime publicist. It was, as he puts it today, "the driving force of my life, as sad as it is to say."

Housel wouldn't leave his office until he called Alabama's sports information department and got no answer, signifying that he was working harder than his counterparts. Nothing mattered more than beating Alabama, even if it cost Housel friends.

But in 2006, 50 years after watching his first Iron Bowl, Housel eased up. He went to New York and saw, appropriately, "Les Miserables" as the Iron Bowl was played -- and learned Auburn had won only by seeing a score on Broadway.

"It was like a weight off me. It felt kind of strange," Housel said. "I'm very happy when Auburn wins. But as I now know, I'm the same person on Friday that I will be on Sunday."

This week, for the 75th time, the Iron Bowl looms. It transcends football, for better and for worse, and can divide and unite state residents like nothing else.

"Alabama-Auburn is a cultural war," said CBS commentator Tony Barnhart, a longtime observer of the Iron Bowl. "They just use football to fight it."

That raises this question: Has the rivalry surrounding the state's biggest sports event gone too far in its nastiness? And what does that say about the state's sports fans?

Here are some views from a variety of perspectives.

The psychologists

When Rosanna Guadagno moved from California to the University of Alabama as an assistant psychology professor in 2006, she was surprised by the rivalry's intensity. She quickly got swept up by it.

Through post-game surveys and controlled laboratory studies, Guadagno researched how Alabama fans react to wins and losses.

In the psychology world, the phenomenon is labeled BIRGing (Basking in Reflected Glory) and CORFing (Cutting Off Reflected Failure). Most research concludes sports fans associate themselves with winners (BIRG) and disassociate from losers (CORF).

"Our die-hard fans (at Alabama) don't CORF," Guadagno said. "They define themselves as we won and we lost. It's explained by self-esteem and how much we like ourselves. When the die-hard fans lose, it's painful and they don't like themselves as much."

The Iron Bowl can be unhealthy because it reinforces the Us vs. Them concept of grouping the world, rather than accepting people for who they are, Guadagno said. Her research shows patriotism and religion also have similar divisions.

"Personally, one of the things I really like about football fandom is the way it cuts across ethnic lines," she said. "I think it helps for (easing) racial tensions."

Doug Hankes, director of Auburn student counseling services and the athletic department's sports psychology consultant, finds that the most passionate fans in this state often never attended their favorite university.

"There's a feeling of, 'I'm a better person because of that connection,' and there's the escapism part of it, too," Hankes said. "You don't have to worry about all the other stresses in our lives."

When Auburn loses, Hankes finds some students become depressed.

"But I think people view the rivalry as more extreme from the outside looking in," Hankes said. "Those of us who have grown up in Alabama kind of get it and it's hard for outsiders to understand. We kind of lose our perspective."

The media

Outsiders who wish to criticize the state's fans for losing perspective certainly have examples they can cite. When the 2000 Iron Bowl was held the day that results of the presidential recount were announced, Birmingham's CBS affiliate obtained special permission not to pre-empt the game with election coverage.

Paul Finebaum equates the fans' passion to politics, where liberals and conservatives try to destroy each other. Finebaum's popular radio show, which is now syndicated nationally, draws battle lines, sometimes viciously.

"I would say the show contributes to the rivalry being unhealthy because it is a meeting place of everything that is really bad about college football," Finebaum said. "I'm not going to run away from that. I know what I hear every day. There was a time where you would try to moralize on the air. We're beyond that point."

Finebaum said the hatred starts on the Internet and flows over to radio.

"There's a phrase in politics: 'It's not about the extremes, it's about the middle and the undecided,'" he said. "The average guy who gets off work at 4:30 and picks up 20 to 40 minutes of the show every night frames his view of this rivalry by some lunatic calling in. So I think the impression becomes even more extreme."

Finebaum said he "acts responsibly" if needed and is more moderate than he used to be. "There were times when you had to stoke the fires. Today, you don't have to because it's so intense anyways."

At al.com, the online home of The Birmingham News, The Press-Register of Mobile and The Huntsville Times, not a day goes by without similar malicious and anonymous comments from fans.

Bob Sims, director of content for al.com, said users can report bad behavior and a third-party contractor also observes. Users who violate terms for posting comments can have their accounts frozen for 24 hours or be banned.

"We go to great efforts to keep the conversation fair and inviting and informative," Sims said. "Against the backdrop of all the conversation going on at websites and talk shows, I do wonder if we have sort of lost the heart of what college sports is about." But, Sims added, "I obviously have a prejudice because I want people looking at the website and the conversation that goes on between fans is very, very, very important and often very healthy."

The students

Last Tuesday, 48 Auburn students and administrators traveled to Tuscaloosa for Better Relations Day. It's been an annual event since 1948, when the football series was renewed after being suspended. Student Government Association representatives at both schools met to discuss joint initiatives.

The SGAs sponsored gubernatorial debates together this year. Since 1994, Alabama and Auburn have collected almost 2 million pounds of food during an annual food drive.

Auburn SGA President Kurt Sasser said he and his Alabama counterpart, James Fowler, conduct friendly football trash-talk by e-mail but mainly learn from each other.

Students can set the tone for the rivalry, Fowler said. "The student section is so visible at games," he said. "How we act can impact the adults."

Sasser grew up a huge Auburn fan in Sheffield amid mostly Alabama fans. Whenever Auburn lost the Iron Bowl, he dreaded going to church or school in the coming days because of the ridicule he would receive. He struggled to explain why he takes defeats so personally.

"That's a good question, because I'm not the one playing," he said. "I think it's my deep, deep love for Auburn University. I'm the guy that's been coming to games with my dad and my mom as long as I can remember. Auburn is kind of like my big brother. No one messes with my big brother."

The presidents

Even if an Auburn or Alabama president wanted to, the Iron Bowl is impossible to ignore.

"Football is the prism through which a remarkable number of intelligent people view the university," former Alabama President Andrew Sorensen said. "To deny that is to bury your head in the sand."

Sorensen said Iron Bowl games played in Tuscaloosa during his tenure from 1996 to 2002 often produced more arrests than any other Alabama game.

"This is not peculiar to Alabama and Auburn, but it seems that when one team wins many of the fans feel it's imperative to gloat publicly and to express very derogatory language about the opposing team," he said. "It gets nasty."

When Alabama lost the Iron Bowl, Sorensen would receive e-mails from fans saying the president should be ashamed of himself. Board members would "chew my ear off" after Iron Bowl defeats, Sorensen said.

In an attempt to promote civility, Sorensen once suggested to then-Auburn President William Muse a joint pre-game tailgate. "He discussed that with some of his trustees and thought it was a terrible idea," Sorensen said.

Instead, Sorensen and Muse set up a reception in Montgomery for state legislators to meet the coaches at the time, Tommy Tuberville and Dennis Franchione, and to hear the coaches speak about higher education.

"The attendance would have been pretty sparse without the coaches," Sorensen said. "Each coach gave a very inspiring talk about how important public schools are, K through 12 and in college. I regard that as a high point in my time with the rivalry."

Sorensen has experienced Florida-Florida State, South Carolina-Clemson (he was there during an on-field brawl) and is beginning to understand Ohio State-Michigan as senior vice president for development at Ohio State.

"I honestly believe that the intensity of Alabama-Auburn is higher than any other," Sorensen said. "If you come up with a suggestion to ratchet that down, I hope you share it with Bob Witt."

Alabama President Robert Witt said in a statement that he enjoys "the friendly competition." There is a "great deal of respect" between the universities, he wrote, and they collaborate on projects.

For Auburn President Jay Gogue, a Georgia native, the Iron Bowl took a backseat to Auburn vs. Georgia when he was an Auburn undergrad.

"I probably have not been consumed (by the Iron Bowl)," Gogue said. "What I like is both schools are ranked in the top 50 (academically). The competition between institutions has probably made us both better academically."


The changed man
Don't get David Housel wrong. Auburn's former publicist and athletics director still loves much about the Iron Bowl rivalry.

"Yes, it can divide, but you can also look at this as representing the very best (the state of) Alabama has when the teams get together," Housel said. "The interesting thing is there's very rarely bad blood between the players."

Housel believes the rivalry became more respectful in recent decades due to the game finally coming to Auburn in 1989 and more balanced results. Since 1982, Auburn leads the series 16-12; prior to that, Alabama won 19 of 23 games.

"Balance gives new perspective," Housel said. "Once both sides know nothing lasts forever, then you can enjoy the game as it should be."

Yet Housel hears stories of employers who won't hire someone simply because the person attended Alabama or Auburn. He knows relationships have ended due to this game; he has lost friends due to harsh words both given and received.

Housel believes the only way to make the Iron Bowl rivalry more civil is to move the game to the middle of the season. But he acknowledges the public will never stand for that because it would lessen the magnitude of the game.

"The real problem with this game is the fear of losing is greater than the expectation of winning," Housel said. "People internalize the outcome too much and think if my team beats your team, that means I'm a better guy."

Housel, now 64, finally reached a different conclusion in 2006 when he traded the Iron Bowl for "Les Miserables." After 50 years of being consumed by the rivalry, he said, "some people would say I grew up."

Is that asshole really trying to win the Pulitzer with a sports article?