Are Clemson football fans really “intoxicated”?

By now, most Clemson football fans have heard about Paul Finebaum’s declaration of the Tigers’ fan base as being the most “intoxicated” that he has heard in his life. 

Finebaum is the host of the Paul Finebaum Show, a University of Tennessee graduate and a former columnist of the Birmingham Post-Herald where he covered the University of Alabama sports.

On the July 21 show, a Clemson football fan called and apparently hit a nerve with Finebaum, when he talked about coach Dabo Swinney and Clemson football.

Finebaum definitely took exception to any comparison of Swinney and Alabama head coach Nick Saban.

“How could you put Dabo Swinney in the same sentence with Nick Saban”?

The caller explains his stance after comments from Finebaum.

“I’m not trying to say that Dabo Swinney’s the next Nick Saban. I’m just saying that Dabo Swinney is only getting started. He has a lot of great potential.”

Saban won his first national title in his 10th season as a head coach. Dabo won his first after his eighth full season. Saban started his coaching career in the seventies and Dabo in the early nineties. So Dabo really could be the next Nick Saban? Only time will tell if that will come to fruition but, as far as, Swinney just getting started and having potential. The caller is right.

Finebaum was relentless and continued talking about Swinney.

“Who died and made Dabo Swinney the greatest coach of all-time? He’s got one national championship, okay.”

So could his words come from an implicit allegiance to Alabama and distress over the outcome of the 2016 National Championship game?

Maybe or Maybe not? But it wasn’t that long ago, Jan 6 to be exact, when he had great things to say about the Tigers’ fans. Ironically, days before the big game.

He has made a career on being blatantly outspoken and for staunch remarks about coaches, teams, and of course, fans. His rant on Clemson fans was not the first time that he attacked a fan base. Florida State fans got it in 2015.

Michigan fans got it in 2016.

Fans/callers are a big part of his show and two of the most popular are Tammy and Jerome. Both bring uncanny personality and fandom daily.

Back to Finebaum’s possible love of Bama and the question of could he be distressed over the Clemson football win over them. Tammy, an Auburn fan said this to Paul the day after the game, “Paul, Paul, Paul. Man, wasn’t it a great night. Wasn’t it a great night, Paul.” she continues, “I know it wasn’t for you, because you was probably crying like my husband upstairs in the bed. You was crying wasn’t you”? Listen to Tammy’s call on this link from Otto Radio. She really enjoyed the Tigers win over her rivals. I mean really enjoyed it.

Finebaum mentioned the championship to the Clemson caller.

“Enough of this already. You won a national championship. Good for you. You’ve been to two title games. Good for you. But quit talking like you own college football, okay.”

Of course, Clemson doesn’t own college football and no one can make that claim, not even Alabama. But beating a motivated Alabama team in a repeat matchup was definitely a fine feather in the Tigers’ caps or helmets. They are the reigning champs and football fans across the country recognize that “paw” more than ever.

Jerome, a huge Alabama fan knows that Clemson is a team to be reckon with, and he wasn’t shy about saying it. On the July 20 Paul Finebaum Show, he adamantly stated that Bama’s dynasty isn’t over and that all teams are inferior to them except one. Jerome is the last caller on the above link. Click on the word “play” to go to wide screen to be able to fast forward in desktop mode.

"…….it’s no competition for Little Nicky(Nick Saban) right now. They might as well just lay down and pass the trophy. It’s no competition. …….You better get everybody in the state of North Carolina except for Clemson, because we can’t deal with them right now. They got the upper hand but everybody else, Finebaum. We’ll whomp their tail."

Fans are sometimes called out for not being knowledgeable about their teams or other teams before they speak. And Jerome could be put into that category based on his placement of Clemson in the state of North Carolina instead of South Carolina, but we know what he meant. During the conclusion of Finebaum’s conversation with the Clemson caller, he uttered some puzzling last words, especially, considering his perceived knowledge of college football.

“And do me a favor and call me back when you’ve actually done something than win “one” national championship.”

Finebaum even took time to tweet out his final words to the caller. Maybe, he’s the only one who doesn’t know that the Clemson Tigers have two national championships in football. I’m not a regular listener of the show, but I would guess that fans have called him back since this tweet went public.

The word “intoxicated” in adjective form can be defined as drunk or excited and the Clemson fan, in my opinion, was neither. He was calm and very coherent.

After listening to Tammy and Jerome, I would definitely categorize the Clemson fan as the least “intoxicated” of the three.

What do you think?

Fans are supposed to be enthusiastic about their college football teams and some will be “intoxicated” in every meaning of the word. But it’s college football. One of the most exciting and thrilling sports in America with very compassionate fans. That fandom will never change and neither will Finebaum’s thirst to raise the ire of his listeners.

Next: How good can Clemson be without Deshaun Watson?

It was Clemson fans a week ago. Who will it be next? I will bet anyone an adult beverage that he will be talking about another fan base sooner than later.