(Putting on my body armor)

Why do fans of the SEC feel so proud of their conference? Many other people besides me, and a local sports talk show host think the same thing. All you hear about is how good the SEC is. And yes, the SEC is the best conference right now. But why do you have to root for all the SEC schools?

For example, I am a Cincinnati Bearcats fan, but that doesn't mean I go rooting for other teams in the Big East (West Virginia, Pittsburgh, etc.)

Oklahoma doesn't root for other Big 12 teams (Kansas, etc)

I mean, when Cincinnati was getting destroyed by Florida, I heard people chanting "SEC, SEC, SEC" I mean, who really cares what your conference is?

Ok, flame suit on.
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Southern Pride...if you don't live down here you wouldn't understand.
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Got to agree with him.. It cannot be explained if you were not raised in the SEC. It is a religion (and I'm not exagerating). One of the best/worst ass whipping I have ever witnessed was to an individual who made the really bad decision to bad mouth the Bear in Birmingham, AL. It just isn't done.

Every place has their little hang ups, in the South, we live and breathe for SEC football. To me a hogie, sub, grinder, etc is just a bunch of cold cuts on a long bun. My wife from Philly and Jersey has very big issues with what is served in VA. It is what it is.
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I was born and raised in the south, and I don't understand it either. I, unlike other SEC school fans, do not cheer for other SEC schools no matter who they are playing.
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There are exceptions to every rule.
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I understand the southern pride but, by that logic, southerners should be rooting for all southern teams (Florida State, Miami, Georgia Tech, to name a few). Not just the SEC.
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Like i said....if you don't live down here you wouldn't understand.
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Exactly my point. :-)
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You haven't answered my question. I understand southern pride. But why just the SEC? Why not the other teams in the south?

We're smart folks here. Give an explanation a try.
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I would disagree with the OP. I am a huge supporter of the SEC, but at the same time I can't stand the University of Tennessee. I don't like their head basketball and football coach. I will cheer any team if they are playing UT. Some of that comes from the fact UK has not beaten them in 25 years, but most comes from the a-holes in charge. In football I will cheer for the SEC because if they win then UK wins because of the shared money from bowl games and media rights. So its a win win situation for the conference members.

I'm not sure "Southern Pride" has anything to do with it in fact in my case. I have lived in the DC metro area, although its VA, we tend to not think of ourselves as being the south, so I have zero allegiance to the southern states. It has more to the fact that so many teams hate the SEC (in football Alabama and UF are hated for their success, and UK is hated for the fans that are absolutely insane, myself included to a degree). So I think we have this us against the world complex.
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I am glad to see this response. It has given me something to think about. Maybe it does have to do with the us against the world complex.

So I take it you won't be a fan at a stadium chanting "SEC, SEC, SEC" when a SEC team wins :-)
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If you root for a whole conference, your chances of cheering for a winner goes up 12 fold. Unless you are a Florida or Alabama fan (this year), you have nothing to cheer for but the conference.
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The original question was why the SEC is so proud of their conference. Not why we don’t support the schools in the ACC. In the SEC we have a great amount of respect for the teams in our conference. The teams sweat and bleed with each other throughout the season. Comradery is what brings the teams of the SEC to support one another.
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Calling BS on this. Show me a Gator fan that would pull a Bulldog fan out of a burning building and I'll show you a traitor. There is NO love-loss between Fla-Ga, Auburn-Alabama, anybody-Tenn. And there is nothing wrong with this. There is a genuine hatred between bitter rivals. As an Ohio State fan, I know this first-hand with that team from up north.
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:-)
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Like I said - I can't. I was raised for the most part in LA so was a LSU fan most of my life, I still root for them. Moved to Bama where my Dad got his bachlors and masters at UAB, sister went to Auborn, my brother and sister in law went to Tenennesee, my cousin went to Georgia and is a Dawg, etc. No one ever said to me this is why, just was raised to pull for the SEC colleges. I know there is a lot of rivelry in college sports but have never seen/experienced it as compared to the SEC. It's sort of us against us and then whoever wins it's us against who ever :-)

Could be in part the SEC still retains 10 of the original 13 from 1932, possibly the legacy and the rivelry????

But it as the OP posted. Having lived and worked in the Navy with people from all over the US, most everyone has a team to pull for but very few pull for the conference as a whole. As a side note, I am a Steelers fan ever since Terry Bradshaw went to the Steelers from LA TECH (not an SEC). I still pull for the AFC even if the Steelers don't make the playoff. Maybe I'm small minded :-)
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I think, in part, it makes the have nots feel better about themselves

I have heard nothing but SEC trash talk from my arkansas fans...

They feel as if they're being in the SEC legitimizes that they suck, I really don't get it at all. Cheering for your rivals is retarded. their success is bad for you, plain and simple
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Alabama beat my team, Florida. If Texas beats Alabama, my friends who are Texas fans start hypothesizing that Texas would have beat Florida. Maybe it makes no sense to some, but that's how I think.
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As a rule I do pull for all of the SEC teams except Tennessee. IMO their program and last two coaches have zero class. As for Georgia... I still despise them with a passion because of all *ss whippin's they put on us over the course of my childhood and when I was attending Florida. I also can't stand Auburn... I still pull for all the SEC teams though (except the afore mentioned Tennessee) because of the pride I have in our football heritage. I firmly believe that the brand of football we play in the SEC every Saturday is MUCH better than any other conference. I think many others take pride in that as well. That is why you hear the SEC chants. That is why I was pulling for Bama. That is why I let Ritchie, Greg, and any other Bama fan on here know I was proud of them going into the game and that they would have my support.

I can't explain it any better than that. If you are from the south and are a fan of an SEC school that is just how it is (for the most part).

BTW... I do pull for Florida State as well. Not a fan per say... I just want Florida football to do well. Miami, on the other hand... NOT!!!
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What he said except put the Gators where he put Tennesee.:-)
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