This is my "Alabama Fan" of an uncle. He was born in Washington, so I'll cut him a tiny bit of slack. Except he also claims to be a UDub fan, and by fan, I mean he occasionally realizes they exist during seasons they go above .500 and tells me how great they did.

I've tried to teach him, I really have. He just doesn't get it most of the time. I've had countless mini-arguments with him explaining the game of football where he refuses to listen to rule explanation and tries to shout me down. I've also watched him get in arguments with fans of other teams at Buffalo Wild Wings and completely embarrass himself, and most Alabama fans. By furthering the sidewalk, redneck, ignorant Bama fan stereotype. Somehow....despite being born in a suburb of Portland, Oregon. Or sometimes, he will even embarrass himself with fellow Bama fans by arguing about a flag or play. In either type of situation he has no idea he has made a fool out of himself.

He started an arrangement with me last year doing Draft Kings during the NFL playoffs, and we will do it all season this year for both CFB and NFL. Basically, he will put up the funds, I will pick the players, and we will split the winnings. He doesn't even know enough about football to bet money on his own opinion of it. Yet he will consistently opine about the state of the team. How good Bama will be, mostly on years the team will be bad(by our standards), and on how bad the team will be, mostly on years the team should be "normal".

He also pays me to draft and run all of his teams in the fantasy leagues he is a part of. Including his work, church, and friends. We have been in two leagues together, and I ran both of our teams in both leagues. He gives me "bonuses" if his teams come in first in the regular season, make the playoffs, make the champ game, or win the league. Doesn't make any sense to me, it isnt any fun to have a team and to not be the on running it. But he wants to be a part of the leagues, and I guess he doesn't want to be embarrassed by always coming in last.

I'll give him this, he became a fan in the late 90s/ early 2000s, when Bama football wasn't always something to write home about. So He isn't one of those fans who were attracted by the success of a team. I will also commend him for at least somewhat recognizing the fact I know a lot more than him about the game. Many people like him refuse to acknowledge that anyone else knows more than them.

Edit: For the record, I feel like a lot of people in here do. Not every fan has the time or the interest to know all of the intimate details of the team. I grew up following Bama, and football in general, it almost feels like I know everything I do through osmosis. I just do, can't tell you specifically where I learned all of it.

I don't fault a fan for not being knowledgeable as I would like them to be. I fault them when they do things like my uncle, actions that embarrasses themselves and the fan base they claim to be a part of. Or, for example, when they basically refuse to learn a simple rule when something happens they do not understand. Instead of listening to, and learning from, someone who knows more. They just get mad at the ref, the announcers, or the other team.

This post was edited on 8/6/15 at 11:01 am