Colin Cowherd knows how to get a reaction, and his latest jab at Alabama football did exactly that. The FOX Sports host took to social media Saturday night to mock the Crimson Tide's attendance for their Week 1 game against East Carolina, posting a photo of a half-empty Bryant-Denny Stadium with the caption: “Alabama attendance is disgraceful. Not a real college football town.”
The post was classic Cowherd — equal parts trolling and provocation — and it landed like a bombshell in Tuscaloosa. Tide fans flooded his mentions within minutes, defending their fan base with everything from heat advisories to scoreboard logic.
Alabama fans fire back
“Do they just pay this guy to lie at this point?” one fan asked, while another who attended the game pointed out the brutal conditions: “As a in person attendee today, the temperature was ridiculously hot. A lot of people were sitting in the shade near the concession stands throughout the game to escape the sun.”
Kevin Scarbinsky, a longtime Alabama columnist, called Cowherd a “charter member of the clown car of national commentators who remain clueless about college football.” Others were more blunt: “Tell me you haven’t came to Alabama in September without telling me,” one user wrote, and another added, “It was 38-10 in the third quarter goofy.”
Even some neutral observers chimed in, suggesting the post was pure bait. “Surely this is rage bait,” one user commented.
The real story behind the photo
While Cowherd's jab was clearly tongue-in-cheek, it did tap into a recurring narrative about Alabama's fan support. But the reality is that Tide fans are among the most passionate in the sport — a fact that makes the program's recent on-field struggles all the more frustrating for them.
The photo in question was likely taken during a lull in the game, when many fans had sought relief from the sweltering September sun. Alabama led comfortably by the third quarter, and with the outcome all but decided, some fans chose the shade over their seats. That's not a lack of passion — it's common sense in the Deep South.
DeBoer's pressure cooker
Still, Cowherd's mockery struck a nerve because Alabama is in a sensitive spot. Head coach Kalen DeBoer has gone 20-8 in two seasons, but that's not good enough by Alabama standards. The fan base is hungry for a return to national prominence, and every perceived slight — even a silly attendance jab — gets amplified.
This isn't the first time Cowherd has stirred the pot with college football fans. He's known for his hot takes, and he's also been vocal about the changing landscape of the sport, including his support for the college game over the NFL. But when it comes to Alabama, he clearly knows exactly which buttons to push.
For Tide fans, the best response might be the one they've used before: win big, and let the empty seats in the fourth quarter speak for themselves. After all, a sneaky photo only tells part of the story — the rest is written on the scoreboard.
