Dear Auburn Reddit User,
From one UGA student to all football fans, I would personally like to apologize for the awful portrayal of UGA cast by a single Auburn fan. Responsible for tainting our school's reputation through means of viral social media, I am both embarrassed and outraged by the actions that occurred this last Saturday.
The fatal stage in Athens was set and the atmosphere for a perfect storm couldn't have been more ideal. With an age old rivalry heavy on each teams minds, Georgia began our intimidation strategy by blacking out (both physically and mentally) as well as acquiring a coveted primetime kickoff slot of 7:00 p.m. It's honestly no surprise that after a day of hardcore tailgating in combination with plummeting temperatures that tensions in Sanford Stadium were at an all time high. Crammed like sardines into the stands, not only had the UGA Athletic Association allegedly oversold the seats, but also the combination of two rowdy (as well as highly inebriated) student populations was both thrilling and terrifying.
A letter created by an Auburn fan exposed on Saturday Down South negativity shed light each of this fan's statements, exposing a disingenuous portrait of what I know as Bulldawg Nation.
From what I'm sure was a heart warming sensation read by spiteful Auburn fans as a accurate rendition of said 'UGA fans,' I find myself particularly offended considering that my friends from Auburn were here for the Rivalry Weekend as well.
The origin of this letter can be found on the Reddit College Football Board from a user who soon deleted and disaffiliated with his account after the spread of his article. While I must refrain from playing the devils advocate, I can't help but ponder how we can considered one fan's experience to be 'factual' and sincerely based off 'true events.'
I won't be the first or last UGA fan to tell you, the allegations instigated by this open letter are ridiculous. Never have I seen or experienced any legitimate fan on either team spit at eachother. Ever.
Illustrating my outrage with these allegations, a quote from the Auburn user's letter said, "Spat at. CONSTANTLY. I did NOT understand why grown men were literally spitting at me on a regular basis. It was insane. I lost count at 20."
The validity of this claim is not only questioned by me, but by Andrew of the 'Georgia Football and the Everything Else SEC' blog.
In a reactionary statement, Andrew said on his page, "I've never seen spitting. Again, I can't help but wonder what made you so damn spit-on-able. I find it incomprehensible that you were spat on more than 20 times- not because it's surprising, but because there's no way that is true."
At any school, whether it's in the SEC or ACC, home at Alabama or away at Auburn - no self respecting fan will be spitting on someone for the sole reason that they're a visiting team's fan.
The typical 'student' as described in the Auburn open letter is a far cry from matching what most consider to be a legitimate UGA fan. In fact, according the UGA Today,the 2014 class this year began with the highest average GPA to date - a 3.9 on a 4.0 scale - in the most challenging courses. They also have earned the highest test scores for entering freshmen and continue the upward trajectory in the academic qualifications of students at the nation's first state-chartered university. Brilliant and exceptionally driven, UGA students are far from classless.
In fact, if our Reddit user had desired to illustrate an accurate image of the UGA student body, he should have said something along the lines of: "A typical UGA student is a outrageously intelligent kid looking to make the best grades and drink the most liquor for the least amount of payout."
This description holds true and sheds an accurate light on UGA that ranked by College Prowler as the "#1 Work Hard, Party Harder University in America" according to Businessinsider.com.
Beyond spitting, it is important to note the incidences reported by this unfortunate Auburn fan were at the bars downtown. This letter claims:
"They were boo'd, two drinks were thrown at him personally, his friend in an '[Auburn] ball cap had a glass beer bottle thrown in his direction,' 'we were spat at,' and cussed out."
Besides being boo'd and spat at, it should be known that downtown by it's nature generally isn't the most welcoming location. With thousands of visitors streaming into the city on game days and around 80 bars in Athens - of course someone is bound to have a miserable experience. The events described by this Auburn fan have even unfortunately happened to me on regular weekends with neutral colors on. Much like any other drunk population, angry drunks and horrible humans are always going to have a presence (as much as we wish we could ban them from bars).
It happens.
Downtown Athens parties hard. I highly doubt that any drinks or bottles were thrown at them with the intention of singling out an Auburn fan any more so than me being singled out for having blonde hair. That just doesn't happen because you're from an opposing team, it happens because the bars get packed beyond capacity: incoherent boys fight because they are overwhelmed by testosterone, a dress is ruined from a spilled cranberry vodka, and finally the Fire Marshall has to kick everyone out at 1:30.... well, before last call has been declared.
The Odyssey at Auburn University quoted UGA junior, commenting that she is a Georgia fan and felt personally victimized by her own fan base Saturday Night. The writer of the article cited above, Hannah Swanson states that, "I just don't believe that the people who behaved this way on Saturday are an accurate representation of the University of Georgia." I find myself agreeing with her completely.
In final critique of the Auburn fan's letter, the surrounding of the girls in a group as they left the stadium because they "feared for their safety," and the vulgar comments aimed directly at the females of his group not only presumably aligned with every girl ever. This is a case of the something we've all been raised to know: that it's hard to be a women in a man's world.
While it's unfortunate that this Auburn fan felt so poorly mistreated in our town, I am truly sorry that we as a fan base have lead you, your group of friends, and every person who has formed a negative opinion on the issue to believe that we are anything but Damn Good Dawgs.
Eternally Bleeding Red and Black,
Gracie Preston
