At least the Alabama basketball team showed up in body Thursday night in Auburn. The Alabama Student Government Association didnt have the decency to make the trip. What the Crimson Tide basketball team lacked in spirit in its 74-55 rollover in the Auburn Arena, the schools SGA lacked in attendance. Theres no excuse for either no-show. Tradition holds that the annual presentation of the Iron Bowl football trophy takes place at the next basketball game between the schools played at the home of the school that won the football game. The very idea is demeaning to basketball, but tradition is tradition. Part of the tradition is for the SGA president from the school that lost the football game to show up at that basketball game to present the Foy-ODK Sportsmanship Trophy to the other side - and to sing the other sides fight song. Its all good fun in the name of, as the trophy says, sportsmanship. Alabamas SGA president spit in the face of that tradition Thursday night by declining to make the trip to Auburn or to send a representative in his place. Bad weather left over from Tuesdays surprise snowstorm was cited as the reason, which mightve made sense if the Alabama basketball team itself hadnt bused to Auburn on Thursday. If the team could make it, an SGA rep shouldve done the same. That no-show didnt prevent the Auburn football team from accepting the trophy or the Auburn fans from singing the fight song. It didnt stop Auburn coach Gus Malzahn from engaging in a little gamesmanship when he said, Im here to tell you, this trophy, its gonna be around here awhile. I believe they call those fightin words. No doubt theyll be coming soon to laminated posters all over the Alabama football complex. Note to Alabamas student leaders: If youre going to sing Rammer Jammer when you beat Auburn, you have an obligation to show up at Auburn to sing a different tune when you lose to Auburn. Its called class, and its a word United Cerebral Palsy of Central Alabama students should know well. It flashes on the scoreboard at Bryant-Denny Stadium before every game. Its nice to see it. Its better to show it.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 12:35:49 +0000