I cannot tell you how angry I was when I heard the most disgusting noise in the world directed to Chris Todd and the Auburn Tigers.
I was at the game when the boos rang out at Jordan-Hare Stadium, but it was not directed at Tennessee. Instead it was meant for one of our guys.
Again, I was angry. This is not the first time this has happened, but I never want to hear it. It just shows how the fair weather fans have made the game too serious and do not realize what those young men do to play on Pat Dye Field.
Most of these kids are 18-21 years old. I know I could never do what the players do on that field each time out. I do not care if we are winning by one or two points each time out.
Heck, I don't even care if we lose big each time out. Those guys play their hearts out each and every snap. That's all you can ask from them every game.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Now, if I could address the fair-weather Auburn fans directly, I have something to say to you.
Auburn is not the most perfect place in the world (though it is darn near close), but it is our place. It is our home. True Auburn fans hold themselves to a better standard than booing the team.
Winning is the point of the game, but there is so much more to a football program than winning. Forget what the school on the other side of the state is doing, and concentrate on supporting the young men in the blue jerseys.
I have been through the highs and the lows in my years of following Auburn football. I will still bleed orange and blue until the day I die. My allegiance will not falter with how a season goes. I will support the team in any way possible. I realize there is much more to the team than just winning games. I saw this first hand when I was sports director at WEGL.
One more item I want to chew on with the fair weather Auburn fans. We have something called The Auburn Creed. It lays out the beliefs of true Auburn men and women. One line touches home when turmoil happens:
I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all.
As far as football is concerned, be the first one to lend support for those guys. Don't be the first to criticize. Auburn players and fans in the past went through some tough times. Be thankful that we haven't had those times for quite a while.
I'll say it before, I'll say it again, and I'll say it until I die.
I SAID IT'S GREAT TO BE AN AUBURN TIGER!
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2 months ago
OMG!! People like you make me sick!! Tell those 18-21 year old young men to not take advantage of the free education they are getting & to not revel in the glory of being big man on campus when things are going well & they won't ever have to be worried about beeing booed!!! Take the math major or the education major who never gets on television or gets their name in the newspaper .. they are never booed. IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE PRESSURE, DON'T PLAY FOOTBALL IN THE SEC!!!!!!!!!! The fans pay alot of money to support the team & have the right to complain when they see success being squandered by loyalty an untalented player or the reigns being given over to an OC who apparantly has no clue about SEC football. Refund all of our ticket money & we will stop booing!!
And stop the crap about the age of the players!! In the real world, not in fantasy football land, most young men that age are married and/or have real jobs with real life responsibility. Are 18-21 year old football players so emotionally ill-equipped that they can only handle the glory or the photo ops or fans cheering you on but can't handle when their ego isn't being stroked when they do terrible? Give me a break!! In the real world, if you don't perform your job well, you get demoted or fired! NOt someone saying poor thing.. we know you are trying. The football program is the biggest money maker for the university. It is big business. If you don't want to be booed when you suck, then don't accept the perks like a free scholarship education or the glory of your face on a magazine when things you doing well!! You aren't a real fan!! Those of us that were booing LOVE our team & want to see it stop being ran in the ground by an incompetent OC & untalented high school QB who has no business playing at this level. If medicocrity is okay with you, go root for another team! Auburn doesn't need you!!
from 2 months ago
Have you ever stopped and think that there is more to a supporting a football team than money? Do you understand the history of Auburn football and where it came from? Complain all you want about Tony Franklin and Chris Todd, but in the end, were 4-1, 2-1 in the SEC. The offense will get fixed. If your concerned about winning, then I don't see a reason why you should complain. Ugly wins = a W. Period.
Go through a season or two when Auburn isn't winning. Hopefully you'll stick around after the fact. But with your recent rambling, I think you'll jump on another bandwagon somewhere.
from about 1 month ago
Your attitude is disheartening. You don't seem to understand what Auburn football is all about.
Football makes money, but I believe I am correct in saying that the program is financially separate from the university funds. Whether this is right or not, the point is not whether the players should be expected to win a national championship in order to justify receiving a scholarship. The point is that the young men who entertain you on Saturday could hardly consider themselves entertainers. Do you know any entertainers who work as hard as the football players do? Can you imagine the hours and days and weeks and months of conditioning and practice they must perform in order to get on the field? Can you imagine the stress of performing before thousands - even millions of fans? Could you visualize the difficulties of keeping up with classwork and exams when they have limited hours left to study? Don't you realize the players have concerns about their futures just as non-players do?
Do you consider them just a bunch of guys hired to please Donna on Saturday?
Only the most shallow of people care a hoot about being on television anyway. True fans care about the university, the feelings of fellow students, the image we present to the world. Are we just tacky and selfish ticket buyers who have no regard for the feelings of the coaches and the players. Do we perform so well in our own studies and careers that we can disparage the attempts of others?
Booing is bad. It is hurtful in every way. I suggest those who have bad attitudes should stay home.
2 months ago
I'm in agreement with you Tiger...fans should never boo for ANY team, especially their own. I've never booed Bama, let alone Auburn. I will never boo Auburn.
Having said that, I also think that Franklin is making his decision of starting QB based in emotion. I've been to all our games except the UT game and I watched that one on TV. And it's obvious that Chris Todd is still injured. I also beleive that many AU players believe that Kodi should be the starter, and it might be tearing this team apart.
I hope I'm wrong, but I'm begining to believe that Franklin might be in over his head. Some of his play calling has been ridiculous, like calling an end around pass on 3rd and long. That's a play to be called on 3rd and short or maybe 1st and 10 after you've gotten a first down running the ball. The defense is already expecting pass on 3rd and long. You're not fooling anyone. Then to line up in the Spread on the goal line and try to run the ball when the other team has all 11 of their guys within 5 yard of the LOS is really strange.
Then yesterday we had some success running the ball from the I- and Wildcat formations, but then he stopped running it. Makes no sense.
My love for AU has nothing to do with winning football games, but certainly I hate it when I feel like we're not putting our best foot forward.
from 2 months ago
It is something that has baffled me as well. I do know some of the playcalling has been rather odd in situations. It seems to me that the guys are trying too hard to make something happen out of what they are given from the sidelines. We'll see what happens this weekend in Vandy.
2 months ago
If only there was some way to aim the boo's at their directed target. Such as the bone head play calling we're seeing. I believe in auburn, and LOVE IT. But, someone need to get ahold of the offenese and make something happen. The boo's I heard at the UT game, seemed to be more out of frustration and perceived ignorence on the part of the coachs, not directed so much at the players. The coaches know this, and their in their 40's so age doesnt matter.
from 2 months ago
I know what you mean Greek. Liger touched on the playcalling as well. As for the boos, I believe it was a mix of both at the coaches and the players. I just hate hearing them period. If I was on that field, I wouldn't think that the boos were directed at the coaches.
The coaches do know what is going on, and hopefully they can work something out in the very near future.
2 months ago
I agree wholeheartedly. The boos I heard coming from the student section were largely directed at Chris Todd. Maybe some were booing the playcalling, but it is hard to distinguish.
2 months ago
too much is being made out of booing. some fans do it some don't that's it. no big deal. i don't think there is no difference than a coach getting mad at a player. if you perform you are praised if you don't you are booed. if a wr drops a wide open ball for a touchdown i doubt if the coach kicks him out of the school but he will have a few choice words for the wr. and it's not that hard to distinguish what the fans are booing. when ben tate only got one yard on his run when there were eight players in the box playing run i'm sure he knows we are booing the play calling not him. when todd runs on qb draw we all know he can't run and i'm sure he knows we are not booing him. now when he lobs a ball to trott in double coverage that should have been picked and on the same drive throws another pass up in triple coverage that is picked and he has a reputation for lobbing balls as opposed to throwing them anyway, then i think he knows we are booing him and i think he knows why we are booing him.
from 2 months ago
Darrius,
The whole point is that it shouldn't be done period. Sure, I wasn't too happy about what happened last Saturday, but I know I couldn't do any better if I was in their situation. That is why I don't boo. Its my firm belief that if you think you can do better, then go ahead. But I bet you a vast majority of people in the stands couldn't do what those guys do on the on-the-field and off-the-field each day.
2 months ago
I didn't boo, but I was certainly yelling several choice curse words when on a 3rd and 15, Auburn threw a 8 yard pass. The crowd may of booed and I didn't think they were wrong to, and I just cursed hoping someone on the feild heard me from the nosebleed.
2 months ago
well in sports most of us couldn't do what the athletes do. though i believe i can throw a football harder than chris todd. but anyway even the biggest of flops like ryan leaf can do what most can't it's the standard of your peers that you are judged by. just because you boo doesn't make you a bad fan. like i said i think cursing a player is more harsh than booing. and i played football and basketball and your coaches can say some of the worse things but that doesn't mean they don't care about you. but these players knew what they was getting into when they decided to play d1 football. they don't get paid but they get a free education. they are treated better than most other students. they are priority students. they get perks so like everything in life they also get scrutiny. like the qb position in general you probably are going to get more credit than you deserve for wins but that's also the case for the losses. if you want to be a big dog you just have to perform like a big dog, if not nobody is gonna kill you but you might get booed big deal. actually it's just a tool to weed out stronger players from the weaker players. if a college football player can't take a boo then they won't play in the nfl. but actually if they can't take a boo they probably won't be able to hold leadership positions in society in general. heck even the president of the u.s. get's booed. the only people that shouldn't get boo is children and these are young mean playing college football.
about 1 month ago
I believe I speak for most of the student section, and definitely the part of the student section I was in, when I say that these boos were headed straight for Tony Franklin. If Todd can't do his job, he can't do his job. It's not his fault if he lacks the talent, intangibles, tools, etc. It's CTFs fault that he keeps Todd on the field.
And that playcalling... Don't get me started.
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