City of Champions: Living Up To It’s Name

credit: al.com

Two National Championships in three years for the football team (not to mention a Heisman trophy), women’s gymnastics winning a national championship in back-to-back seasons, the women’s golf team won a national championship just days ago, two track and field athletes headed to the NCAA Championships in Jacksonville, and now the softball team has a bid to the World Series.
It’s no secret that the University of Alabama isn’t short on championships. In fact, as a school combined, the school has 20 rings total, and counting. With 19 varsity sports programs in all, success comes at a high premium in Tuscaloosa.
In a town that has been equalized to the tradition at Yankee Stadium (which is more like a kid’s little league field) with a “nothing-but-championships-will-do” mentality, true success is measured in the weight of a championship ring, counted in the number of diamonds, and revered to be the final destination of every season.
Without much coverage coming out of camp for Nick Saban, it might be safe to say everything is as it should be. No quarterback controversy, reliability at running back is a good problem to have, three possible All-Americans on the offensive line, and six, that’s right, six possible All-Americans on the defensive side of the ball.
But let’s try and keep the focus where it needs to be for Alabama right now. As the softball team takes two games against Michigan in the super regionals, they now look forward to heading to Oklahoma City where their #2 overall ranking gives them a great opportunity to bring home another championship to its self-titled town.

Randal Etheredge
A journalist from Mobile, Alabama with a soon-to-be degree from the University of Alabama, Randal has made his mark in the sports world, writing for such publications as Touchdown Alabama Magazine and the Tuscaloosa News.