The Beatless Beat Writer: A Lesson Learned from Twitter

I’m sitting on my living room couch in the wee hours of Saturday morning, staring intensely at my television.

“Only 2,400 more bells until I can buy that writing desk…” I mutter to myself.

My phone’s alarm starts ringing. I slowly and painfully tear my eyes away from my television. Thanks to the alarm, I let a fish escape off of my line.

“Whelp,” I sigh. “I guess it’s about that time again.”

Animal Crossing and that beloved writing desk that I’m currently grinding for will have to wait.

Like so many other fans that are infatuated with sports, I have found ways to pass the time during their absence. Animal Crossing is one of those outlets. YouTube is another, more educational one. It is never too late to continue one’s education, and I’ve found that YouTube is a great outlet to distract oneself as well as educate oneself.

Social media, primarily Twitter, is also one of those outlets.

Aside from free agent news in the NFL and a slew of mock drafts and rankings being released, there wasn’t much in the realm of sports this week. News is picking up, but outside of the NFL there really hasn’t been much to report on.

Until Friday.

If you are an Alabama basketball fan like myself, Friday was a great day. Not only was it the one-year anniversary of the Crimson Tide’s hiring of coach Nate Oats, but Alabama also picked up a commitment from Canadian five-star recruit Josh Primo.

112% Commited 🐘🔴⚪️ #RollTide pic.twitter.com/YHCx6y0Lj2
— Joshua Primo (@JoshuaPrimo4) March 27, 2020

And there we find the subject of today’s blog.

Since the announcement of the cancellation of the season, there understandably hasn’t been a lot of news. Oats revealed earlier this week in a teleconference that both Kira Lewis Jr. and John Petty Jr. will be entering the NBA draft, but other than that all was quiet.

However, Oats made a remark in his teleconference that reignited the flame in Alabama basketball fans. In the conversation, he stated that the program expected another commitment that week.

With Primo having previously revealed that he would be making his commitment announcement the Friday of that same week, Crimson Tide fans went ballistic.

As an Alabama fan, the Twittersphere has provided me with loads of entertainment over the years. Twitter is riddled with incredibly passionate Crimson Tide fans, the most devoted and active members lovingly (and jokingly) referred to as ‘Gump Twitter’. With Oats’ hint at Primo signing, the Gumps came out in droves.

Absolutely PHENOMENAL! Best 60 seconds you’ll spend today, @AlabamaMBB fans. Well done, Boys! https://t.co/GbtojjAqQL
— Chris Stewart (@CStewartSports) March 27, 2020

I’m a passionate Alabama fan. I’ve dedicated my life to the Crimson Tide. While following Alabama athletics and its programs as closely as a journalist does can tarnish the perfect, infallible image that other fans might have, I still remain as dedicated as I was on day one.

The Gump Twitter hype reached its climax on Friday, as Primo officially signed with the Crimson Tide, choosing Alabama over Creighton. My feed exploded with tweets that both made me laugh out loud and also stop and reflect.

The outpouring of support from Crimson Tide basketball fans on Twitter and other social media outlets reminded me just how passionate the fanbase is. Despite having no sports to currently watch on television or the stadiums of Tuscaloosa, the devotion is still just as alive as it’s ever been.

After a disappointing end to the season, Friday’s Twitter surge served great reminder to me of why I love Alabama sports. We’re not just sports fans. We’re family. The unifying banner cry by the Gumps perfectly reflected in my mind the situation that we are currently in the midst of.

As cliché as that sounds, you have to look no further than the city of Tuscaloosa itself. During this troubling time, the news is filled with people helping and serving one another. Yes, these current times are troubling, but have you ever sat down to think about how this pandemic might benefit us all in the long run?

Yes, a lot of terrible things are happening because of it. Our economy is on the brink of a massive crisis. People are dying. A lot of awful things are happening, but there are some positives to come out of our current situation.

I have lived in Alabama for the majority of my life, and barring September 11 and the 2011 tornadoes that ripped through Tuscaloosa, I have never seen a more unified front in our state. People are working together to fight a common enemy. Families, while being forced to quarantine, are coming together. Communities and organizations are offering outreach services.

While it might be scary and the good Lord knows I’m tired of being stuck at home, at the end of the day there are some great things brewing in Tuscaloosa, the state of Alabama, and the country as a whole.

It’s amazing what Gump Twitter taught me on Friday.

The Beatless Beat Writer is a series of stories by BamaCentral's own Joey Blackwell. The series is meant to reflect on and discuss Alabama athletics and its fans in Tuscaloosa during the current pandemic.