It’s a crisp, November, Saturday afternoon. Bryant-Denny Stadium fills with nearly 102,000 people. Tensions are high and the atmosphere is more intense than any game of the season. It’s Iron Bowl weekend. People have traveled from all over to see the infamous rivalry game that is Alabama versus Auburn. But there’s one thing missing this year; the stadium will not be playing Dixieland Delight. Dixieland Delight is a song by the band Alabama, and Crimson Tide fans created a chant that reads through gaps in the lyrics. It’s a right of passage learning it as a student and when it comes on, no matter where or what time, you can hear students screaming their chant without fail.
At the 2014 Iron Bowl, Alabama was hosting and they were winning (duh). So naturally, fans got a little riled up. When the long-held tradition of Dixieland Delight began playing, Alabama fans saw it as a way to express their excitement. There’s a line in the chant that reads “f--- Auburn, and LSU, and Tennessee, too” but this time, the first part of the line ran on repeat. And athletic director, Bill Battle, was not happy. He called for the song to be banned from all athletic events until further notice. It left a sour note on a great win.
Well, fast-forward 2 years later and we STILL have no Dixieland! And let me tell you, it is missed. We’re rapidly approaching the 2016 Iron Bowl and a petition has been started to let Bryant-Denny return to its beloved tradition. The petition has 5,500 supporters and counting but it’ll need some more attention before it reaches it’s 7,500 needed signatures. So if you’re still reading, click on the link below and go sign it because if there is one thing that’s for sure, a win against Auburn wouldn’t be the same without Dixieland Delight.
Make Dixieland Great Again!
