why I don't like the iron bowl

HATE is a strong word, but I'd venture to say that I'm pretty close to hating to Iron Bowl.  Here's why:

If you lose, it stinks.  You sit in the agony of your team's loss with half your friends who are moping for hours, weeks, and even the 364 days until the next Iron Bowl.  You also have to listen to, watch, and read all your friends' twitter posts and facebook statuses from both sides of the ball.  You resent the ones who won't shut up about their win and continue to dog your team.  You roll your eyes at the ignorant ones who lost but still hate on the other team, just because - even when they don't really have anything to say. And then there are a few who say "great game, Bama!" or "both teams played so well," which is all great and good but seriously? C'mon!  You know that deep down inside you're thinking, "War Cam Eagle!!!" and other pseudo-expletives against Alabama, and you realize that neither team played a GREAT game for both halves in this year's Iron Bowl.

And then, I reflect on how difficult it is when you win (which we did as recent as last year.)  Don't get me wrong, it's exciting and fun and all of that, but it's not fun for your conversations with Auburn friends, acquaintances, and even total strangers for the next 364 days. You can cheer, but you make people bitter.  You want to be sympathetic, yet you can't help but remember that was the year we broke Auburn's Iron Bowl winning streak, and that was the year we won our 13th National Championship. Let's be honest, those conversations are just a little awkward. You again read all the facebook posts about how the other team shoulda won, or was completely robbed! I don't know how to explain, but it's just a weird feeling even when you win. 

In a strange way, the Iron Bowl brings out the mean, ugly, proud, and bitter side of people, and I don't really like it.  Don't get me wrong - I love competetion.  I love my team.  I love cheering for them in good times and bad, when we win and when we lose.  I'll still say, "Roll Tide!" today and everyday. But deep down, I really don't like the way the Iron Bowl affects our culture, at least in the state of Alabama.  Am I way off here? Anybody with me? Can't we all just be friends?

Oh, and when you lose by 1 point, it stings that much more... Maybe next year, Bama.  Maybe next year.