re: Is it fair for Auburn fans to view themselves as the opposite of "gumps"?

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I see many Auburn fans looking down at Alabama fans.

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Here's my take on it. I don't think either fan base should look down on the other. And my reasoning for this is as follows.

The University of Alabama is a brand name that has always been known as the University of Alabama since it was founded in 1831. Therefore there will be a lot more fans and alumni associated with this university. Not that Auburn hasn't been around as long but it wasn't officially named Auburn University until 1960.

Naturally with the success of the University of Alabama it has garnered more of a national reputation and therefore a larger contingent of fans, mostly sidewalk. And choosing to be associated with that success, has bred a sense of entitlement among these fans. Right or wrong, people take pride in pulling for a winning team. This can be a positive or a negative as the negative examples have been shown in previous post. Shouldn't be reflective of the entire fan base.

Now with the success AU has had since the 80's it is becoming more of a national name much to the chagrin of Bama fans. That's what makes it a rivalry. Sure there are nuts from both side. Bama probably has more due to the fact that they have more fans. I have friends and family that are huge Au fans. We can talk about our respective programs, take jabs at each other and it be all in jest because we don't take ourselves seriously when it comes to our football teams.

I guess that's what's called "having a life."