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July 26, 2007

Commentary: When has hype gone too far?

By Brandon Shields

How much media attention becomes too much? What point does a public personality have to get to before those in the media decide he has had enough?

At what point do expectations rise so high that those who have those expectations decide they can’t get any higher or there is no possibility of them ever being lived up to?

If Alabama football and Nick Saban are not there yet, they are close.

From the time Saban stepped off the plane in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 3 to a throng of waiting crimson-clad fans and a kiss from a total stranger, the expectations — which most thought were already too high for Alabama — have continued to rise at an alarming rate.

New slogans have been thought of and copyrighted, T-shirts have been sold, sales have increased; but the fact remains the Crimson Tide has yet to win its first game in the Saban era.

The interest that is in Alabama and Saban was very evident Thursday morning in the lobby of the Wynfrey Hotel when fans and members of the media were waiting for coaches and athletes to arrive for the day’s proceedings.

Each day is split into two sessions with each session scheduled for the head coach and two athletes from two teams to make their appearances.

Alabama and Vanderbilt were on the docket for the early session Thursday.

Cameras, fans, autograph-seekers and photographers filled the lobby awaiting the arrival of the object of one of the biggest sports stories this year.

Media relations personnel were clearing a path for Saban so he could make it safely from the door to the escalator with no intervention of any crazed fans that may have been in attendance.

However, while the people were gathered in the lobby with eyes locked on the door, a white-haired middle-aged man who had a mild resemblance to comedian Steve Martin appeared to the side, and one autograph-seeker asked him to sign a baseball cap.

The man signed the cap, greeted the fan then made his way through the people quietly asking to be excused as he made his way to the other side of the room and down the hallway lined with sports talk radio hosts.

No one he came into contact with apparently realized they were making way for Bobby Johnson, the man with arguably the hardest job in the SEC as Vanderbilt’s head football coach.

No fanfare surrounded him. Nobody has raised his team’s expectations at an alarming rate this year. And no, nobody stole a kiss from him with photographers waiting to get the possible photo of the year.

Minutes later, Saban made his way into the building, down the path between the media relations representatives and up the escalator with no words but much excitement.

When he came down a few hours later after making the rounds for interviews with radio, television and print personnel, Saban had to face an even larger crowd chanting “Roll Tide!” as he came down to the lobby.

He once again had to mess with the crowd and deal with those who wanted a quick photo or autograph.

Johnson did not have to deal with that. He quietly made his way out to the parking lot and eventually made his way to an airplane bound for Nashville.

When he got off that plane, he was probably able to simply go back to his office or his home without much trouble if any at all.

Maybe Johnson has it right. Yes, the Commodores lose more than they win most of the time, but there are no expectations and probably still a little privacy. Maybe — in some weird, backward way — that makes Vanderbilt the easiest job in the conference.

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