Alabama Sports Discussion: Why a Healthy Team Matters

As fans of Alabama sports teams, we have been fortunate that many of our favorite teams were at full strength when competing against our bitter rivals. However, we’ve also seen some of our best athletes fall to the injury bug. While a lot of casual sports fans may experience heartbreak when a star player gets sidelined due to injury, any injury to any player on an active roster is just as bad.

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This is why most of our teams have a huge amount of players on their rosters. Training can get rough, and sometimes, when the tough get going, they get injured by pushing themselves too hard and too far.

Without a full roster, in-game substitutions would be a pain. A healthy roster eliminates this problem. It’s not uncommon for players on the starting line-up to have a bad game, and they need healthy players to sub in for them.

Healthy substitutes also make sure that the best players on the team stay fresh for crucial moments in the game. Imagine if your star football or basketball player has played the entire game and gases out towards the end. Tired players lose focus and make more mistakes in the game. However, when they get a breather, they regain their senses. This is another important reason full rosters matter.

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Hi, the name’s Kevin Rolle, amateur sports blogger from Alabama. Though I mostly write about Alabama college sports, I also write about professional sports like the NBA and NFL. For more sports articles, visit this page.

Hank Aaron, The Hammer For Alabama

Very few names in American baseball lore stand as tall and as proud as that of Hank Aaron. A legend in his own right, Hank was more than just a baseball star; he was an icon that African-American athletes all over the country looked up to.

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Nicknamed “the Hammer,” Hank was born in Mobile, Alabama, to Herbert and Estella Aaron. His brother Tommie also played in the Majors in their later years, and the Aaron brothers held the league record for most homers by siblings. 

When he was younger, Hank spent a lot of time in Toulminville. As families in the region were in those days, the Aarons were poor, so poor, in fact, that they couldn’t afford to pay for normal baseball equipment. Hank would look for sticks and stones and bottle caps on the streets to use and bats and balls, and practiced day in and day out to hone his baseball skills. 

Hank’s favorite player was the trailblazing Jackie Robinson, the pioneering African-American athlete. In high school, he played outfield and third base for the Mobile Black Bears, which was a semipro baseball team. Being a baseball player and a Boy Scout was what Hank poured his heart and soul into. 

Hank was a cross-handed power hitter. At the age of 15, he tried out for the Brooklyn Dodgers but failed to make the team. He went on to the Josephine Allen Institute and joined the Pritchett Athletics, then back to the Mobile Black Bears. 

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The name’s Kevin Rolle, born and raised in Alabama. I’ve been a sports fan for as long as I can remember. Since I’m a fan of the Alabama University and the Alabama A&M University football teams, I mostly write articles about them. I hope to be a professional sports writer someday. To read more about sports, visit this blog.

Highest Paid Nba Players Per Season Of All Time

The NBA is known for being a league where hard work and talent are paid handsomely. Managers offer players millions of dollars each year to keep playing for their team and to improve on their game. Over the years, we’ve seen players cash in huge checks from their teams. Here are some of the highest paid NBA superstars of all time. 

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During the height of his 21-year career, Kevin Garnett had the highest single-season salary in NBA history raking in at $28 million. His salary is also one of the reasons why there is now a salary cap in the NBA. Throughout his career, Garnett earned a total of $334.3 million. A big chunk of this came from his six-year contract in 1996 worth $126 million. 

Another retired veteran who made serious money was 18-time All-Star Kobe Bryant. Despite a season-ending knee injury in 2013, he has amassed $323,300,000 in the span of 20 seasons. His highest-single season salary was $30.5 million. 

The next name on this list is unlikely to reach the 300 million mark is still actively playing for the Dallas Mavericks. Dirk Nowitzki is one of only seven players who has reached over 30,000 points in their career. His highest single-season salary was $25 million, and his total earnings in the league now at $246.6 million. 

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Hi there, my name’s Kevin Rolle, trying my hand in sports writing. I ’m a big fan of the Alabama University’s Crimson Tide and the Alabama A&M University’s Bulldogs football teams, so I mostly write about articles about these two universities. For more sports updates, visit this website.

The enduring legacy of Paul 'Bear' Bryant

“His nickname was ‘Bear.’ Now, imagine a guy that can carry the nickname, 'Bear.'” This was how football great Joe Namath described his coach in the University of Alabama, Paul Bryant. Considering the magnitude of Bryant’s contribution to the history of the school’s football program, there is probably no better-suited nickname for him. 

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Before Bryant was signed to be the Crimson Tide’s coach in 1958, the university had found intermittent success. It had already won five national titles by then, but in-between those championships were seasons of disappointment and futility. Prior to his hiring, Alabama had endured four straight losing seasons. 

Even though Bryant’s first season with the team resulted in mild success, a foundation had been set and turning the tide had become an attainable ambition. His focus on instilling the basics in his players helped build skills and characters. He once said, “I don’t want ordinary people. I want people who are willing to sacrifice and do without a lot of those things ordinary students get to do. That’s what it takes to win.” 

And win they did. 

In the Bryant era, which reigned for 25 years, the Crimson Tide won six national titles, 13 conference championships, 24 bowl appearances, and amassed more wins than any other team during that duration. 

His legend has helped inspire a new crop of football coaches after his retirement, particularly current Alabama coach Nick Saban, who several pundits also consider one of the best football coaches of all time. 

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Hi there! I’m Kevin Rolle, an amateur sportswriter from Alabama. Let’s talk about Alabama’s sports teams by following me on Twitter.

Three amazing places to visit for exhilarating pro football

No other sport in America is as watched as football. While we are all A&M Bulldog fans, we do appreciate what the NFL has done for the athletes who have worn Bulldog colors. As such, let’s take a quick break from Bulldog football and check out the best places to visit for the most breathtaking pro football games. 

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Michigan Stadium 

Michigan Stadium is fondly called the Big House. Since its construction in 1927, the Big House has been a place of epic battles and historical football matches. It holds the record for being the largest outdoor sporting venue in the Western Hemisphere, accommodating over 100,000 fans. It is both an architectural and technological (Duraspine turf, anyone?) wonder. 

The Rose Bowl

It doesn’t get any more classic than the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. An aerial and wide view of the Rose Bowl sets it up in the middle of the San Gabriel Mountains. It has hosted five Super Bowl games and has the distinction of being host to the first postseason college football game at the start of every year. And yes, it is also a National Historic Landmark. 

Ohio Stadium 

This mammoth structure can seat almost 105,000 screaming fans. Shaped like a horseshoe, it is one of the loudest places in the country. It is said that the energy level during games in Ohio Stadium can get so high that it can disorient fans. 

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Hello, there. The name’s Kevin Rolle, and I’m born and raised in Alabama. I’m a huge fan of Alabama sports. I hope to be a professional sportswriter someday. For related reads, visit this blog.

College Vs. Pro Football: Which Is More Exciting?

Given the overwhelming numbers, no other spectator sport comes close to the viewership of American pro football. More people watch the NFL than any other sport in the U.S. However, does this mean it’s the most exciting sport? I beg to differ. And I’m making a case for college football.

Here are some reasons why college football is more exciting to watch.

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The rivalries

Sure, there are rivalries in pro football, but none of them comes close to the rivalries in college football. There are bowls for these games and viewership for the spikes. Rivalry games in college football are remembered far longer than rivalry games in the NFL. College football rivalries also have the tendency to churn out legends for the ages.

Limited games

The number of games in college football is limited making each game as important as the last. Every game in college football is significant. The coaching staff knows it. The players know it. The fans know it. This is why they take every second of every game to heart. Every triumph is sweeter. Every defeat is more heartbreaking.

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Pricing

Ticket prices for NFL games are ridiculous. It’s a business, and they milk everyone for it. College football ticket prices are more affordable. And the atmosphere during home games is just fantastic. It feels like you’re there with a family of over 50,000 people.

Hi, the name’s Kevin Rolle, amateur sports blogger from Alabama. Though I mostly write about Alabama college sports, I also write about professional sports like the NBA and NFL. For more sports articles, visit this page.

Is Alabama’s Collin Sexton Living Up To The Hype?

Alabama guard Collin Sexton is among the brightest and most promising figures in the upcoming NBA draft, with many league insiders placing him within the top 10. Let’s look at the pros and cons of Sexton’s play. 

The six-foot-three guard has gotten a lot of attention in the Tide’s campaign in the NCAA March Madness tournament, hitting clutch shots after clutch shots and making great defensive plays. Just recently, the freshman brought his team victory with a buzzer-beating lay-up to beat Texas A&M and tallying a total of 27 points.

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And he wasn’t done: the next day he came up with a 31-point, seven-rebound performance in a thorough shackling of in-state rival Auburn. This was no surprise for many in the loop, as Sexton was a top-10 national recruit coming into Alabama. He led the USA U17 basketball team in winning the trophy of the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championship, taking tournament MVP honors despite coming off the bench. By the end of that stint, he set the Nike EYBL single-season scoring record, averaging 31.7 points per game. 

The caveat with Sexton’s game is that he likes to do everything, his game dominated by many one-on-one plays bordering on hero basketball. Many believe that Alabama will be easily beatable without Sexton. 

Nonetheless, he is a very efficient scorer and might probably be the best guard in the country, over other hyped players like Trae Young. He has a high user rate, is a reliable free-throw shooter, and, most importantly, shines on the defensive end with his 6-foot-7 wingspan. 

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Hi there. I’m Kevin Rolle and I’ve been into sports for as long as I can remember. Since I’m a fan of the Alabama University and the Alabama A&M University football teams, I mostly write about them. More musings on the Crimson Tide here.