Alabama Hats

Alabama keeps its deepest loyalties in two places: church and football. A Birmingham rabbi once put it plainly: in Alabama there are two contact sports, religion and football. Roll Tide works as hello, goodbye and good job, and the University of Alabama trademarks the phrase. The Iron Bowl splits couples and families between Roll Tide and War Eagle, and "house divided" shows up on license plates and bumper stickers. Off the field, Alabama white sauce, the mayo-vinegar sauce invented by Bob Gibson at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur in 1925, goes on whole pit-roasted chicken. Mobile claims the oldest organized Mardi Gras in the United States, dating to 1703, a fact its residents are happy to bring up with New Orleans. Huntsville is Rocket City and sells Saturn V merchandise, Gulf Shores is the beach, and in 2008 the state tourism bureau adopted "Sweet Home Alabama" as its brand line. These Alabama hats carry all of it: the bare ALABAMA badge, both team chants, the Iron Bowl divide, a denomination joke, white sauce, and the coast. Funny Tailgate Hats and Long-Suffering Sports Fan Hats cover fandom in general; this page is the state itself, worn by people on either side of the rivalry. Every design is custom embroidered on an unstructured dad hat, for a native, a transplant, or whoever married into the other team.