I'll eventually get around to blogging about our weekend in Auburn for the Arkansas game (which was actually pretty fantastic other than the game itself), but first I feel the need to address the behavior of a signifcant number of Auburn fans at the game on Saturday. Please - if you read this, share it with all of the Auburn fans you know. This needs to go viral.
Dear Auburn Family,
Like most of you, I was seriously disappointed after the Arkansas game this past weekend. Unlfortunately, my disappointment at the result of the game was magnified by the behavior of some of our Family members, if you will.
Obviously, our team is struggling this year. Struggling is probably an understatement, but let's leave it at that. Naturally, we are frustrated each time our quarterback throws an interception or takes a sack, and we are frustrated in general that our record right now is an unheard-of 1 and 4. That does not, however, make it acceptable for us to BOO our quarterback or anyone else on or associated with the team, as I heard several fans doing on Saturday (and by "several," I mean that the jeers rang out from all sections of the stadium).
The Auburn Family prides itself on being different from other teams' fans. We are gracious and welcoming to visiting fans; our stadium and campus is a family-friendly environment; and most of all there is a sense of camaraderie among us, as we all know that the Auburn Family has "got our back." Like Bo said, "We're all family here. Other people say, `We love our sports,' but here at Auburn, we love Auburn."
We also pride ourselves on being "All In" for Auburn and for our team. What I witnessed on Saturday, however, was nowhere near "All In." It's easy to call ourselves a Family and to be "All In" when we're winning. We were the happiest family in the world during the 2010 season, but you really find out what your family is made of when the going gets tough. And I hope that our Family is made of much more than I saw on Saturday.
It is not acceptable for a Family member to heckle and boo another Family member who is struggling. It is not acceptable to leave the stadium before the end of the game (especially in the THIRD QUARTER!) because you have given up on your Family members out there on the field. How do you think that makes them feel? Once they have lost the support of their supposed Family, what else do they have to play for? I was sitting next to an Auburn alum who had brought his girlfriend, a Bama alum, to the game with him. Someone behind us was persistently griping about how terrible our quarterback is and how he should "go back to high school." Of all people, the Bama fan finally turned around to him and said, "You need to suck it up and support him, because he's our quarterback." It's pretty sad when a Bama fan has to remind a member of the Auburn Family how to be a good Family member.
Our team deserves better. Our upperclassmen, who were part of that 2010 team that made us so ecstatic, deserve our full support. They should never feel like we have given up on them. Our underclassmen deserve to know that we're sticking with them no matter what and that we will support them as they work hard to make themselves a better team. When you leave the stadium early because you're upset with the quarterback, you're telling Emory Blake, who has worked his butt off to catch every ball that comes within 10 yards of him, that he's not good enough. You're telling Philip Lutzenkirchen, who is blocking his butt off, that he's not good enough. You're telling Onterio McCalebb that he's not trying hard enough to fit in the new offense that is trying to change him from an outside runner to a "smash it up the middle" kind of guy. You're telling the entire defense that you don't care about their 100% effort and consistency in giving the offense opportunities to score, even when they're on the field for 80% of the game and exhausted. And you're telling the young kids on the team that they're not worth your time and investment in their improvement. Perhaps more significantly, you're telling the recruits in attendance that they will only have your support during the good times if they come to Auburn.
Finally, the Auburn Family deserves better. We are becoming the laughingstock of opposing fans and stupid ESPN commentators, not because our team is not doing well this year, but because we make such a big deal out of calling ourselves a Family and saying we're All In, and it's evident now that for some people that show of solidarity applies only when we've got the National Championship on the horizon. That's not Family; that's bandwagon support. If you're going to jump ship when things get bad, then I'm not sure we want you when things are going well.
This team needs our support much more than the 2010 team did. Crowd support does make a difference. Believe in Auburn and love it. Be All In all the time.
War Eagle,
Darsi
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