Whoever* said “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” was obvious never involved in coaching football.
At least not at a program like Alabama’s.
And most assuredly not for the greatest college coach of all time, Nick Saban.
And he’s only using it to do what all of us fallible lesser beings wish we could.
Saban is the master of all he surveys.
When he says its time to go, grab your bag and run to the parking lot.
Im going, Are you serious?
Hes like, Yeah.
For those that are wondering, Kiva Dunes is a little less than a five-hour drive from Tuscaloosa.
Or a 22-hour bike ride if youre into that sort of thing.
I told em we wouldnt be late.
And when he said that, the room scattered like cockroaches with the light on.
I mean, grown-ass men running down the hall and he never broke stride.
We get out there to the parking lot.
There are two vans and a guy goes Offense over here, defense over here.
They had a police escort that got us through town that took us straight on the runway.
There were two jets cranked up.
Not on the taxiway, on the actual runway.
We got on, 23 minutes later we landed in Gulf Shore … And to you I say, who hurt you?
Why do you hate happiness?
And
Suck it up, daffodil.
We live in a world of hierarchies.
For thousands of years, this is kind of treatment enjoyed by monarchs.
Men who gathered unto them all that was theirs.
But just the mighty few.
And Nick Saban is the King of Football Kings.
Let’s be honest with ourselves.
All Saban did here was what any of us would do, if only we could.
Hell, he probably had assistants to trial runs.
Take film of the journey and break it down for him.
Work up computer simulations.
Work out the finer points on the white board for him.
Just so that he could extend the meeting to add one more wrinkle to that week’s game plan.
Just so he could lazily meander toward the vans while his staff was in panic.
And project that Big Dick Energy even more effectively.
Because that’s the kind of air of confidence that makes you want to follow a man into battle.
There’s a line fromPattonthat was actually taken from a contemporaryTimemagazine profile of Ol' Blood & Guts.
Saban has an entire state making sure he’s treated with the same awe and respect.
So that he and his assistants can make a five hour journey to the course in an hour.
Just to give the Crimson Tide that much more of an advantage on Saturday.
That, is absolutely absolute power.
(*It was Lord Acton, but working him into the sentence wouldn’t interrupted the flow.)
