In college I roomed with two girls who weren’t from the South. One was Canadian, the other from Michigan. Neither of them really understood the whole “football thing”. I joked with one, telling her that down here we don’t use DNA testing to determine paternity … we just ask the child which team he roots for! ;)
Looking back, when I tried explaining the phenomena to them, maybe I really should’ve included some of the following:
Women’s Accessories:
NORTH: Chap Stick in back pocket and a $20 bill in the front pocket.
SOUTH: Louis Vuitton duffel with two lipsticks, waterproof mascara, and a fifth of bourbon. Money not necessary – that’s what dates are for.
Stadium Size:
NORTH: College football stadiums hold 20,000 people.
SOUTH: High school football stadiums hold 20,000 people.
Fathers:
NORTH: Expect their daughters to understand Sylvia Plath.
SOUTH: Expect their daughters to understand pass interference.
Campus Decor:
NORTH: Statues of founding fathers.
SOUTH: Statues of Heisman trophy winners.
Homecoming Queen:
NORTH: Also a physics major.
SOUTH: Also Miss America
Heroes:
NORTH: Rudy Giuliani
SOUTH: Archie & Peyton Manning
… and might I add: THE BEAR! ;)
Getting Tickets:
NORTH: 5 days before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus.
SOUTH: 5 months before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus, make a large financial contribution and put name on a waiting list for tickets.
Friday Classes After a Thursday Night Game:
NORTH: Students and teachers not sure they’re going to the game, because they have classes on Friday.
SOUTH: Teachers cancel Friday classes because they don’t want to see the few hung over students that might actually make it to class.
Parking:
NORTH: An hour before game time, the University opens the campus for game parking.
SOUTH: RVs sporting their school flags begin arriving on Wednesday for the weekend festivities. The really faithful arrive on Tuesday.
Game Day:
NORTH: A few students party in the dorm and watch ESPN on TV.
SOUTH: Every student wakes up, has a beer for breakfast, and rushes over to where ESPN is broadcasting ‘Game Day Live’ to get on camera and wave to the idiots up north who wonder why ‘Game Day Live’ is never Broadcast from their campus.
Tailgating:
NORTH: Raw meat on a grill, beer with lime in it, listening to local radio station with truck tailgate down.
SOUTH: 30-foot custom pig-shaped smoker fires up at dawn. Cooking accompanied by live performance from the Dave Matthews Band,… who come over during breaks and ask for a hit off bottle of bourbon.
Getting to the Stadium:
NORTH: You ask ‘Where’s the stadium?’ When you find it, you walk right in.
SOUTH: When you’re near it, you’ll hear it. On game day it is the state’s third largest city.
Concessions:
NORTH: Drinks served in a paper cup, filled to the top with soda.
SOUTH: Drinks served in a plastic cup, with the home team’s mascot on it, filled less than half way with soda, to ensure enough room for bourbon.
When National Anthem is Played:
NORTH : Stands are less than half full, and less than half of them stand up.
SOUTH: 100,000 fans, all standing, sing along in perfect four-part harmony.
Commentary (Male):
NORTH: ‘Nice play.’
SOUTH: ‘Dammit, you slow sumbitch – tackle him and break his legs.’
Commentary (Female):
NORTH: ‘My, this certainly is a violent sport.’
SOUTH: ‘Dammit, you slow sumbitch – tackle him and break his legs.’
My personal favorite: “Put his ass in the grass!”
Announcers:
NORTH: Neutral and paid.
SOUTH: Announcer harmonizes with the crowd in the fight song, with a tear in his eye because he is so proud of his team.
After the Game:
NORTH: The stadium is empty way before the game ends.
SOUTH: Another rack of ribs goes on the smoker, while somebody goes to the nearest package store for more bourbon, and planning begins for next week’s game.
My God, I love the South! Can I get a ROLL TIDE? ;)
Conservative Belle
This is brilliant! If you add Eli Manning to the list of Mannings at the top you can get a HOTTY-TODDY from me! ;)
Nicki
LOL, Belle, you got it! ;)
Uncle Monster
I’m an evil heretic. I attended classes at The University of Alabama
while in the womb and I care nothing for football. Perhaps it was
atmospheric radiation from the early atom bomb tests back in the
middle of the last century. :mrgreen: :roll:
[8~{} Uncle Monster
Nicki
I knew there was something wrong with you! ;) :lol: