Are there really people who would miss their
own daughter's wedding to go to a football game? If you know
anything about Alabama football fanaticism, you know the answer
is, "Of course!" followed immediately by "Roll
Tide!"
Warren St. John, an Alabama native who writes
for the New York Times, spent five months up close
and personal with the RV crowd that follows 'Bama football
in a giant, migrating horde. Before the season was out, St.
John was the proud owner of "The Hawg," a dilapidated,
gas-guzzling RV whose best feature was a Crimson Tide tire
cover. He had driven all over the South, and he'd mingled
with the entire spectrum of aging frat brothers, former Southern
belles, and good ol' boys who really mean it when they say
they live for Alabama football. He'd also made friends with
a ticket broker, gotten kicked out of a press box, and learned
far more than he ever wanted to know about maintaining a moribund
RV with a leaky sewage tank, dubious wiring, and a bent front
axle.
St. John describes football games with deft ease,
making them come alive as much for those who know little about
the game as for those who do. He also follows the scandal-torn
career of Alabama's embattled coach and some of the team's
star players. He gets to know a sports columnist and talk-radio
host so universally despised by 'Bama fans that he has to
live in a gated community. He meets a man who needs a heart
transplant but gives up his place on the recipient list in
order not to miss a game. And he really does find a couple
who missed their daughter's wedding, although they did manage
to make the reception.
Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer (the chorus
of an Alabama victory song) makes for five hours of excellent
road trip listening. Read by the author, it is not only the
story of a unique odyssey into sports lunacy, it offers thoughtful
and provocative commentary on American culture.
