What does "Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer" mean?
“Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer” is a line from a cheer, typically played when the Crimson Tide has put a game away. Specifically the “Rammer Jammer” was an old campus magazine at Alabama, and the yellowhammer is the state bird of Alabama. They are juxtaposed in the cheer primarily because they are among a very few words that rhyme (approximately) with Alabama. If Alabama has beaten, say, the Tigers, then fans will stand and sing:
Hey Tigers
Hey Tigers
We just beat the hell outta you!
Rammer Jammer Yellowhammer
Give 'em hell Alabama
The cheer has been an ongoing source of controversy over the years. One athletic director banned it because objected to the word “hell” in a school cheer. Also, many Alabama fans consider it bad luck to sing the cheer before a game (with the third line changed to “We're gonna beat the hell out of you.”) Though the band has occasionally flaunted that superstition, for now the cheer is sung only when the outcome of a game is certain.
I happen to hate Alabama football. Can I possibly enjoy this book?
RJYH is a book for all fans, for people who have been puzzled by fans (spouses, friends, the population at large), and for anyone curious about contemporary American culture. The book doesn't presume you like (or don't like) Alabama.
What do football fans who spend their autumns driving around in RVs do for a living?
Hardcore football fans are nothing if not industrious in their quest for free time during football season. Many work seasonal jobs, are self-employed, or else juggle shifts to get free time on weekends. Chris Bice, for example, usually trades his Friday shift at the air traffic control tower for the late shift on Sunday nights; that allows him a day to travel to games. He and Paula will then leave early Sunday morning to make it back to South Carolina in time for Chris' late shift.
Ron St. John (no relation to the author), the RV-er who drives The Toad, said he gets to games early by “calling in sick every Thursday.” Chip Glass, the Tide fan who often throws up from nerves before kickoff, has lost two jobs for skipping shifts to go to games.
Are there other teams with RV convoys like Alabama's?
Absolutely. Most S.E.C. teams and Big 12 teams have fairly large RV convoys, and schools like Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan have them as well. The convoys tend be larger in the South for two reasons. First, most of the teams are within a day's drive of each other, so traveling by RV is practical; and secondly, because of weather. It's relatively warm in the South well into football season, which makes the tailgating experience more enjoyable.
If you didn't go to the University of Alabama, why do you pull for their football team?
Imprinting. My father went to Alabama and started my indoctrination at a young age. According to the Canadian sociologist Barry D. McPherson, 35 percent of fans attribute their team selection to their fathers, more than any other single source.
Do you keep up with the Bices, John Ed, the Show Chicken Man, or Paul Finebaum?
One of the most interesting things about reporting RJYH was the friendships that came out of the book. I introduced John Ed and the Bices, for example, and they've since become very close friends. And separately, I've stayed in close touch with both of them. The Bices have stayed with me in New York, and we speak before most games. When I'm stuck in New York during games, the Bices make a point to call me after most scores so I can hear the crowd noise. I often see the Show Chicken Man, Bobby and Bobbie, Frances, Skipper and Donnie, whenever I stop by the Law Library lot in Tuscaloosa before games. I stay in touch with Finebaum as well, although you'll never catch him in an Alabama RV lot, for obvious reasons.
What happened to the Hawg after the season?
The Hawg was sold at a loss.
Other questions? Send them to warren@rammerjammeryellowhammer.com
