The University of Alabama may not have quite the same stranglehold on the college football world as it did even 10 years ago, but leave it to one of the Crimson Tide’s intrepid fans to steal the spotlight on Saturday with a biting message about a polarizing government figure.
ESPN’s “College GameDay” show, wherein ESPN analysts travel to the site of a major game for their typical studio show, features a chance for students to come out in droves and try to get on television — or get their signs on television.
It’s become one of the more beloved traditions in college football, and it’s almost become its own subculture.
Eagle-eyed viewers on Saturday, however, may have noticed one sign that stood out above all the rest.
Don’t worry if you missed it. OutKick’s Clay Travis captured it and shared it on social media:
“Fauci Lied!!!” the sign declared.
That simple, two-word sign clearly is meant to capture the frustration many Americans had over Dr. Anthony Fauci, the now-former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the widespread COVID-19 lockdowns he helped craft — from the pandemic’s onset in the U.S. in 2020 until he stepped down in December.
In hindsight, many Americans feel that those lockdowns were actually aggressively unconstitutional and largely based on disputed science.
Despite the complete lack of knowledge surrounding the pandemic in 2020, Fauci presented his side of the lockdown rationale with complete authority.
For Fauci’s legions of critics, this is the “lied” part of that sign.
To be fair to Fauci, there are still many — usually liberals — who fully believe in him.
So setting aside any disputes over the actual merit of that “GameDay” sign, there is one more lingering question about the sign: How did it get there?
Because the show’s own rules about signs state: “No vulgar signs, .com, .net, .org, political or religious signs are allowed.”
And a sign daring to question Fauci’s integrity very much feels like a “political” sign.
Unsurprisingly, ESPN did not focus on that sign during its normal “GameDay” show, surely wanting to avoid major controversy.
As to some Alabama fans, getting the sign onto national television might be the best memory of the day in Tuscaloosa.
The Longhorns beat the Tide 34-24.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.