TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Aristotle Tziampiris joined thousands Saturday in traveling from Athens to Tuscaloosa to watch the Ole Miss Rebels take on the Crimson Tide; the only difference was Dr. Tziampiris traveled 9,000 miles from Athens, Greece.
“There is football, college football and then there is University of Alabama football,”Dr. Tziampiris wrote in a recent column for The Huffington Post. “A visit to Tuscaloosa for the night game against Ole Miss was an eye opener, dispelled many stereotypes and provided me with a renewed appreciation for SEC football.”
Dr. Tziampiris wrote how he was impressed by the University of Alabama’s state-of-the-art but not “luxurious” players’ facilities, and focus on academics.
What caught my attention was a huge billboard with a high definition photograph of three players, designated as the students-athletes of the week, having achieved the greatest academic improvement over the previous seven days. The stereotype is of course that academics don’t matter, that college football players are mere human fodder for a huge cash making machine. But right in front of my eyes was palpable encouragement, acknowledgement and recognition of the importance of studying and learning and not just dominating opponents. Problem is, unless you have access to the inner sanctum of the training facility (and almost no one does), this positive emphasis remains unknown and unacknowledged.
He also noted the beautiful campus, the famous and ubiquitous Southern Hospitality, and the complete lack of animosity between those of different races as well as fans from different schools.
On the very same campus where Governor George Wallace made his infamous stand in the schoolhouse door, Dr. Tziampiris was pleasantly surprised to join more than 100,000 men, women, and children of all colors and creeds coming together to eat, drink, and yell Roll Tide.
Indeed, ever since Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant began recruiting African-American young men to play for Alabama in the early 1970s, college football has become perhaps the best tradition to help people begin crossing the racial barriers that have plagued society for so long.
“Everyone, and I mean everyone, was rooting for their teams that were mostly comprised by young African-Americans (nor to mention that most of the music blurting out of the speakers was hip hop),” the professor observed.
“While watching the game there were several Ole Miss supporters around us who were never heckled or bothered in any manner, despite their often wild celebrating. As far as I can tell, University of Alabama football fans simply do not tolerate expressions of violence, racism or bad manners. Period. Everyone is in essence overly friendly (and yes, this extends to the cheerleaders who were happy to be photographed with us having pre-game field level access).”
Though the Crimson Tide did not exit the field victorious Saturday night, it looks like Alabama gained another fan. Dr. Tziampiris, you come on back now, you hear?
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— Elizabeth BeShears (@LizEBeesh) January 21, 2015
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