Red Sox vs. Yankees.
Duke vs. North Carolina.
Ali vs. Frazier.
We all know how intense sports rivalries can be—but until you visit the state of Alabama, you can't comprehend the excitement that burns for the annual Iron Bowl.
The matchup between The University of Alabama and Auburn University is about as fierce as any rivalry can possibly get.
To any naysayers who may question the passions involved in the Iron Bowl—believe me, it's insane...and that's coming from an outsider.
My family moved to Alabama when I was nine. Lucky for me, we moved just in time to enjoy the winter holidays—Halloween, Iron Bowl Week, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
On my first day at my new school, my teacher invited me to tell the class a little about myself. The introduction quickly turned into a heated Q&A session.
Firstly, none of the other kids liked the fact that I admitted to being a Tennessee fan. Secondly, they demanded that I choose a new favorite team: either Auburn or Alabama.
Trying to make as many new friends as possible, I did what any nine-year-old would have done:
I chose both teams.
Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, seeing that I sparked a verbal war—not directed at me, but rather between all of my classmates.
These fourth graders were screaming at the top of their lungs, debating who was better between Bo Jackson or Joe Namath. I was the buyer and my classmates were individual auctioneers trying to get me to "buy" their teams.
I kind of felt like this kid.
To this day, it's not unusual to be asked that dreaded three-worded question, "Auburn or Alabama?"
You can usually tell who the questioner roots for based on which team he mentions first—if he isn't already wearing orange and blue or crimson and white, that is.
Think Harry Potter and the "unmentionable" name of Voldemort—it's kinda like that.
How heated is the history between these two schools?
The Iron Bowl got its name because of a dispute over where the rivalry game should be played. The programs finally settled on neutral Birmingham—an iron and steel city.
Thus the "Iron Bowl" was born.
The two schools have since agreed to make the game a more traditional home-and-home rivalry, alternating between Tuscaloosa and Auburn each year.
Outside of location, though, the schools still argue over everything imaginable.
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