College football traditions are fading. But in Tuscaloosa and Knoxville, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em remains.
Shades of orange and crimson filtered into Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Tuscaloosa fall afternoon was idyllic for a football game and, if you wanted to partake, a collective act of permitted civil disobedience.a message reminding fans the University of Alabama was a smoke-free campus flashed on four video boards. The public address announcer politely informed everyone that smokeable tobacco products were blacklisted items.
Traditions in the modern era of college football are an endangered species. Some conferences are trying to curb field and court stormings. Some conferences are expanding, and others disappearing altogether, ending rivalries. The authenticity the sport is known for is buckling under its commerciality. But in Tuscaloosa and Knoxville, the smoky custom lingers.
“No way it’s that easy,” one UA student remarked to his three friends as they crossed the North entrance near the Walk of Champions. They had just made it through security and shared a look of excitement. Starner made sure to brand each “Estrellas” with the names of his parents, Randy and Debbie Starner on ribbons along the label. There’s also “The Luke” named after his late friend and Alabama superfan Luke Ratliff, the same variety Saban was presented with by CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell postgame.
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