In Alabama, Football is a Political Football

Tim James is running for governor of Alabama. If you want an inkling of why I would never run for governor of Alabama, check this tweet from Friday.

That’s James’ camp (he denied personally sending the tweet) defending the candidate from rumors he would cut Nick Saban’s salary if elected, and an illustration of just how nutty Alabama politics are. A staffer for Bradley Byrne, James’ opponent, denied starting the rumor, but at least one person told the Birmingham News that James made a remark about Saban’s salary, possibly in jest.

Oh, and James is an Auburn grad, class of ‘85, and the son of Fob James, a two-time Alabama governor who also happened to be an All-American halfback at Auburn.

So, yes, despite the denial, this will probably pop up again during the campaign, and as a meme in college football coverage. (Andy Staples and Paul Finebaum both retweeting James ensures that.) I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that James planted this seed to help defuse the time bomb that would be an Auburn-educated governor being trusted with the state while Alabama’s contending for national titles. I’m in no way stunned to learn that football is an important political issue in Alabama. And I certainly don’t think this is the nuttiest thing we’ve seen or will see bubble up from Alabama’s political mire.

But you know what this makes me excited for? Charles Barkley, oft-rumored future candidate for office in ‘Bama, making something like this a bullet point of his campaign for governor in 2014 or 2018. Is there any Auburn grad more likely to needle Crimson Tide fans incessantly?

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