At The University of Alabama, we are driven by the idea of perfection. There is no such thing as "good enough". While others settle for their desired outcome, we strive for so much more. We, instead, focus on the process. Every aspect must result in perfection. Perfect practice makes perfect. I mean if we wanted to settle for adequacy... we would just call ourselves Auburn (even though that might still be giving them too much credit). However, sometimes the best team doesn't always win. Sometimes you come up short. So what exactly does it mean for a team like Alabama, with an undefeated season, to lose?
This season, it showed to the nation that The University of Alabama is so much more than just a football school. We are a school of class with a really great football team. I don't think it has ever been said better than from Alabama football legend, Bear Bryant,
"It's awfully important to win with humility. It's also important to lose. I hate to lose worse than anyone, but if you never lose you won't know how to act. If you lose with humility, then you can come back."
In the face of a major upset, there could have been anger, frustration, or excuses; instead, there was an outpouring of gratitude. Players such as Reuben Foster, Damien Harris, Marlon Humphrey, and Christian Miller (just to name a few) took to Twitter with immense class to thank their team, their fans, and even congratulate players from Clemson on their win.
Most importantly, however, the Alabama team gave the glory to God in the face of their loss. Bo Grant took to Facebook to show the team kneeling in prayer with the caption "They praise us when we're up. We praise him when we're down." This team and this university realize that there are so many things that are so much more important that the National Champion title. Instead, our treasures are placed in heaven and those will never be taken from us. So, if you really want to know what it is like to lose at The University of Alabama... this is what it looks like. It looks like gratitude. It looks like humility. It looks like hard work. For that reason, we will return better than ever. Watch out America, #RoadtoSabenteen has already begun... and hey.... now we even have a little extra time to prepare the Walk of Champions for our next big win.
