Tebow Supports Saban, Rips 'Entitled' Alabama Fans
Here’s something you don’t see every day: A Florida guy on the same side of an argument with an Alabama guy.
But when the Florida guy in question is Tim Tebow, a guy who is passionate and compassionate in equal measure, maybe that shouldn’t be a surprise.
Tebow stood up for Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, who’s been under fire lately for criticizing fans of his own team for not showing up for Alabama’s non-conference cupcake schedule.
Saban, after Alabama predictably thumped Louisiana-Lafayette 56-14, took fans to task for their “lack of enthusiasm.”
“I think what makes this a special experience here is when we have great support from everybody in the program, everybody that supports the program, all of our fans, all of our students,” Saban said.
“I can honestly say I was a little disappointed there weren’t more students at the last game. I think we’re trying to address that. I don’t think they’re entitled to anything, either. Me personally, I think it ought to be first-come, first-serve. If they don’t want to come to the game, they don’t have to come. But I’m sure there’s enough people around here that would like to go to the games and we’d like for them to come too because they support the players.”
Saban had a point; the stadium was a ghost town for the 11 a.m. kickoff.
Alabama students. pic.twitter.com/0EuEo1GEuy
— Michael Casagrande (@ByCasagrande) September 29, 2018
But fans ripped Saban, saying that if Alabama wants people to show up, they shouldn’t play blowout wins that are forgone conclusions against cream-puff opponents. Nobody wants to watch a public execution when they paid for a competitive football game.
It’d be one thing if, say, Clemson or Georgia showed up and the Tide beat them into a fine paste.
But Louisiana-Lafayette? Where’s the fun in that?
Tebow, however, went on ESPN’s “First Take” and showed that he had Saban’s back on this one.
.@TimTebow just went IN on the Alabama student section 👀 (via @FirstTake) pic.twitter.com/1atjaGtDrT
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 5, 2018
“I think the fans are getting so entitled there at Alabama, specifically the students,” Tebow said. “Listen, as a student, you’ve done nothing to win all these titles, OK? You spend a little bit of your daddy’s money to show up at a game and to go to school there. You say you’re the best fans in college football. Well, you need to show up. I don’t care if you’re playing Louisiana whoever or if you’re playing Hoover High School. You show up for the game and you support your team. Because if you want to say you’re the best fans in the country, you show up every game no matter what.
“Coach Saban is right. Alabama students, you need to show up for your team.”
Those are strong words are coming from the guy who put an end to Alabama’s title hopes in the 2008 SEC championship game and a sign that yesterday’s enemy can be today’s friend.
Alabama’s non-conference schedule is older, but the problem of finding a worthy opponent, even in the SEC, seems to be very much still a problem.
The Tide pounded the Arkansas Razorbacks like a cheap steak on Saturday, taking a 41-14 lead at halftime and cruising to a 65-31 win. The fans who showed up were treated to Tua Tagovailoa throwing for 348 yards and four touchdowns on just 11-of-14 attempts.
Whether Alabama continues to have attendance problems for all but the critical SEC games this year remains to be seen.
But even their old nemesis thinks it’s a sad state of affairs that the students aren’t showing up.
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