Fanatic Fan Fundamentals

So, it is without a doubt, my favorite time of the year- FOOTBALL SEASON!  Everyday when I get on Facebook, I am reminded of some fans unbecoming behavior.  I am not pointing fingers at any specific team, because I know better than that.  Every team has fans that give their school a bad name.  In my neck of the woods, some schools have more of these rather obnoxious fans than others.  I want to help everyone out and provide a few rules that would make football season a lot smoother for fans of all schools.

1.  Show a little respect.  Think before you speak (or type).  Carefully consider, is your opinion really necessary?
2.  Stay positive.  Nothing bothers me more than when opposing fans write negative comments on what should be a positive status.
3.  You worry about your team,  I will worry about mine!  It is no secret that I bleed orange and blue.  My statuses concerning football are usually about either Auburn or Troy.  If my statuses are about other teams, they are not negative.  (OK, I can think of a couple of times that I kind of pushed it a little)  I get extremely tired of fans from rival schools posting trashy statuses about my team or any other team.  I am glad they are so concerned, but they can take that concern somewhere else.
4.  Focus on this century!  It is phenomenal that your team has won one trillion national championships in the past, but can we focus on the fact that they have won one since you were born.  This probably sounds like I am talking about one school specifically, and I am in that sense.  I am also talking about any other school that enjoys harping on past accomplishments.  I like living in the future and focusing on the team that is on the field.
5.  I always find that the worst fans are those that never attended the school and couldn't find the university if their life depended upon it.  If you are one of these people, sit down.  Please do not make your respective university look bad.
6.  If you do attend the university, then you should be educated enough to act appropriately.  You are the ones that are drag your school's name through the mud because of your inability to hold your tongue (or fingers).  I have great respect for other institutions and their athletic departments, I know not everyone feels the same way.  Having attended Auburn, I take pride in supporting my alma mater and being gracious and welcoming to visiting fans on game day and rivals on any day.
7.  On week one, please do not make your national championship predictions.  That is, well, annoying.  Anything can happen on any week in college football- SEC fans, you should know this best!
8.  When your team wins by 6 touchdowns, I do not need to hear about it all week.  I, for one, enjoy competitive football.  Competitive football entails two teams of equal talent fighting for a win.  Scores resembling 41-31 or 17-14 mean it was a good game, a score of 60-3 does not.  That simply means you won by a landslide, be the bigger person and be a little humble.
9.  If you attend one university, do not disrespect them by wearing opposing team's gear on game day at home.  That is ridiculous.  It does not make sense.  In my opinion, if you go to Auburn, and it's game day in Auburn, if you can't find your burnt orange and navy blue, you better just stay at home.
10.  I have not named any schools specifically in this blog, but in light of my team affiliation, I will use my last rule to name names.  I believe in Auburn and love it.  If you don't believe in Auburn and love it, don't tell me that on my status.  If you are wearing crimson and white and your status says Roll Tide, I won't be committing on it in a negative way.  The Auburn, Alabama rivalry runs deep in our state.  Some Alabama fans (and sadly some Auburn fans) just can not manage to keep their mouths shut throughout the season.  It literally makes my blood boil.  The Iron Bowl is two months away, don't hate on my team now.

I had the privilege of attending the school I cheer for every Saturday.  My university gave me a unique opportunity- the opportunity to forever call myself a member of the Auburn family.  The spirit of the Auburn family is not something that can be understood by everyone.  In fact, I grew up an Auburn fan, but I did not truly grasp the meaning of the "Auburn family" until I attended Auburn.  I am proud to forever call myself a member of this family.  Wherever I go in life, I will look forward to returning to the Plains and the unique War Eagle moments I might encounter.

I hope everyone is enjoying football season, but remember... keep your "fanatic fan" under control!

War Eagle!