Alabama football rarely takes L’s, but that may not be the case this season, and it’s a good thing because, by god, are they sore losers.
After the Crimson Tide’s loss to Texas on Saturday, videos surfaced of (presumably) disgruntled Tide fans repeatedly screaming anti-gay, racist comments at Longhorn players.
https://x.com/WisnerAngie/status/1701044091415629965?s=20
Angie Wisner, mother of Tre Wisner (pictured in the video), said fans spit at and threw beer cans and water bottles in their direction all night, and you’d think that a group of people who’ve been privileged enough to root for Nick Saban’s team would take the loss in stride.
However, this is Alabama we’re talking about. I’m not saying the same fans who shouted the comments are the same people who attacked the Black boat captain in Montgomery, but there is a commonality between the two groups that makes none of this surprising.
The University of Alabama released a statement Monday condemning members of its repugnant fanbase.
“We are disgusted by reports of vile language and inappropriate behavior Saturday night,” the statement reads. “To be clear, we condemn this behavior and it will not be tolerated in our venues. It is not representative of UA or our values. We expect all attendees to act with class and respect towards others. Fans are strongly encouraged to report issues to our security resources on-site. Gameday and delayed reports are appropriately addressed and anyone found to be in violation of our rules and expectations will be promptly removed and may be banned from future events.”
Cool, now tell that to ’Bama QB Jalen Milroe, who is Black, and I’m sure will be on the receiving end of fan backlash after his two-interception outing, if he hasn’t already. Yelling gay slurs and telling Black players to go back to the projects is the behavior of spoiled children who don’t know how to process their anger, so they go full troll as if they were still safe in their dorm room playing Call of Duty.
That, or they were taught that this is acceptable behavior, which is worse, and honestly, a more likely explanation.
The Tide got beat, handedly, and fairly, and while it is an outlier, it’s no excuse for bigotry. Remaining calm and acting civilized is easy when your team is winning, but adversity often exposes true colors and tests one’s poise. Those Alabama fans failed that exam miserably.