Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 · rating details · 787 ratings · 116 reviews

What is it about sports that turns otherwise sane people into raving lunatics? Why does winning compel people to tear down goal posts, and losing, to drown themselves in bad keg beer? In short, why do fans care?

In search of answers, Warren St. John seeks out the roving community of RVers who follow the Alabama Crimson Tide from game to game. A movable feast of Weber grills...more

Paperback, 288 pages

Published May 31st 2005 by Broadway (first published 2004)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,246)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Feb 13, 2009 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

I first bought this book as a gift for my friend Derrick, a University of Alabama alum. I was fascinated by it and I love college football, and I'm thinking he won't give it back, so I bought my own copy so that I can read it.

*****When I was but a wee, small girl, and thanks to my father's obsession, many of my fall mornings were spent being woken up on Saturday mornings at 5:00 and being dragged, unwillingly from my home in Virginia to Morgantown, West Virginia, home of West Virginia University...more

like 1 like · see review

Jul 20, 2011 Corinne rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book personifies the reason why is why I am in a book group. I would have NEVER (see how that's in all caps?) have picked up this book. I am not a sports player. I am not a sports fan. I couldn't care less about football. Especially college football. Unless it's my alma mater, the Maryland Terps, in which case I might say "go Terps" when I find out they've won something. Just not my thing.

But this book? It digs deep, as it says in the subtitle, into the heart of Fan Mania. And Warren St. Jo...more This book personifies the reason why is why I am in a book group. I would have NEVER (see how that's in all caps?) have picked up this book. I am not a sports player. I am not a sports fan. I couldn't care less about football. Especially college football. Unless it's my alma mater, the Maryland Terps, in which case I might say "go Terps" when I find out they've won something. Just not my thing.

But this book? It digs deep, as it says in the subtitle, into the heart of Fan Mania. And Warren St. John, our tour guide into this land of manic fans, is an Alabama boy. That's the University of Alabama, the Crimson Tide. And he uses his own experiences and his own absolute devotion to "his" team as a springboard for finding out what it is in humans that makes us pick a side and then pour our heart into being a follower. What is it about the contest itself? The chance of winning? What are the intricacies of fan interaction and that "crowd mentality" that makes you hug or cry with complete strangers?

Truthfully, I was so worried about having to read this one and there is no doubt that some scenes of football action were skimmed, but overall, this was one entertaining and fascinating read. It reminded me a lot of the book Confederates in the Attic, which examines Civil War re-enactors. Rammer Jammer introduces us to some of the really interesting characters of Alabama fandom - his die-hard love of the Crimson Tide was his ticket to places and people that made this such an intriguing read. Especially all those RV fans, the ones that travel around to tailgate and watch - it's like it's own little culture.

I think honestly what I liked best is that he (our author) DID have a team. Even while looking at all these fans, he was psychoanalyzing HIS OWN SELF. Trying to figure out where the rush of absolute joy or the cloud desolation that can come from the outcome of a GAME. There was a great mix of his own experiences, history and sociology. I feel like my mind has been opened up to an entire new world - and I'm a fan of that.(less)

like 3 likes · see review

Jan 06, 2010 Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I would like to start off by telling you what this book is NOT. While an appreciation for University of Alabama football would enhance enjoyment of this book, this is not simply Alabama fan reading material. "Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer" (RJYH) is a very interesting study of the football fan RV subculture. These are the folks that buy motorhomes and travel from game to game, setting up little "villages" on school campuses across the south.
When I got the book, I was afraid that St. John's missio...more I would like to start off by telling you what this book is NOT. While an appreciation for University of Alabama football would enhance enjoyment of this book, this is not simply Alabama fan reading material. "Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer" (RJYH) is a very interesting study of the football fan RV subculture. These are the folks that buy motorhomes and travel from game to game, setting up little "villages" on school campuses across the south.
When I got the book, I was afraid that St. John's mission was to make fun of this subculture as well as the fanaticism of the ALabama faithful. As an Alabama fan, I wouldnt enjoy the ridicule, but as a fan of any other team, I would resent the ridicule. BUT hat is another thing that this book is NOT!
While you can find a better synopsis of the book, I am sure, here are the basics: Warren St. John, an Alabama fan from childhood, goes away to Columbia University to study and goes to great lengths to keep informed of how his favorite team is performing in Alabama. He begins to wonder why fans get to be so, well, fanatical.
St. John has a fascination with these RV villages that spring up overnight-sometimes a whole week before a game. He contends that these guys must be the "uberfans" of Alabama football and would, therefore, be good subjects to study in his search for answers about fandom.
He decides to immerse himself in this culture for an entire season. This book records his experiences along the way. If it stopped there, it would probably be an interesting read only for diehard ALabama fans.
However, St. John delves into the whole idea of what makes people fans of certain sports and certain teams. What would compel a person to buy a $600,000 motor home and risk life and limb to get to 12 football games a year? Why do we choose the teams that we choose? How does such extreme team loyalty develop and how can it be affected by wins, losses, coaching decisions and university administrations.
His descriptions of the quirky people along the way are entertaining without being demeaning. He is incredibly gifted in the ways that he describes the people and events that occur. I found myself laughing out loud in some spots, dog-earing pages to read to my husband, and leaving with a better sense of myself as a football fan.
Be warned, this is a book about football. As he travels from game to game, the information about what happens in each game is discussed in order to explain the "fandom's" actions and reactions. You should be a football fan to read this book, just not necessarily an Alabama fan.(less)

like · see review

Jun 08, 2011 Lani rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Lani by: Josh Paulik

Shelves: borrowed, biography, non-fiction

Josh actually recommended this to me, despite me not knowing much of anything about college football. I'm not sure why he picked it up, but I did enjoy it.

In a similar vein to all the other 'do a wacky thing for a year' books, St John traces his interest to its starting point (childhood in Alabama), to his disconnect and self-aware analysis of the phenomenon (living in New York as a writer), all the way into his 'immersion' into the culture he tries for the year (season, really). He ends up buyi...more

like · see review

Dec 09, 2012 Mike Kershaw rated it 3 of 5 stars

Does for SEC Football what "Confederates in the Attic" did for Civil War reenactors. The author, a displaced southerner at Columbia, embedds himself in the sub-culture of the 'camp followers' that give Alabama football some of it's most fanatical devotees -- the legion of fans that follow the Crimon Tide from game to game in their Recreational Vehicles. If you wonder why the plutocrats at ESPN, with their narcassitic/nihilistic quest to reduce college football to another Harvard MBA inspired bus...more

like · see review

Apr 29, 2009 Dale rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great story about the passion of SEC football fans. The author chronicles the 1999 (I think) Alabama Crimson Tide football season. St. John grew up a passionate Tide fan in Alabama, and later moved to New York. Living in the North, St. John missed the passion and intensity of SEC football fans. He spent the season traveling to all of 'Bama's road games and hanging out with the "regulars" in their motor homes.

If you're a college football fan of any kind, this will be an enjoyable read. I love co...more

like · see review

Aug 04, 2011 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

http://www.gerberadaisydiaries.com/20...

Oklahoma was ranked #1 in the preseason USA Today/Coaches Poll, today.
Why does that matter?
Well, when you are a football fanatic, you wait 9 months for this date, and anticipate the 12 autumn weekends that comprise the college football season – and with some luck – week nights in January to watch them in BCS bowls.
I, like Warren St. John, the author of Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, spend too many countless hours watching football on any given Saturday from...more http://www.gerberadaisydiaries.com/20...

Oklahoma was ranked #1 in the preseason USA Today/Coaches Poll, today.
Why does that matter?
Well, when you are a football fanatic, you wait 9 months for this date, and anticipate the 12 autumn weekends that comprise the college football season – and with some luck – week nights in January to watch them in BCS bowls.
I, like Warren St. John, the author of Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, spend too many countless hours watching football on any given Saturday from September thru December. He for his beloved Crimson Tide of Alabama, I for my alma mater, The Oklahoma Sooners. We weep tears of joy and pain over wins and losses. We both, surprisingly, bleed Crimson. His famed coach wore a hounds tooth patterned fedora, my famed coach (Barry Switzer) was ousted in ’88 when three team members were arrested on weapons charges and rape.
Fortunately, I was able to prepare myself for the impending magic of football season by reading his chronicle of following the Tide in his RV “The Hawg” during the 1999 SEC Championship football season: he meets fans, interviews radio announcers, lunches with boosters, visits the famed Bear Bryant Museum – all in his quest to understand our collective rolls as FANS. His narrative is electrifying when describing the utter ecstasy one feels with a win and the despondency one feels with a loss. You can smell the stale beer in the stands, and feel the heat from the late afternoon stadium sun. You can even hear the band playing the fight song.
The only detraction was that it was dated. Alabama has ridden the roller coaster of football success in recent years, but with the crowning (because in football, that’s what it amounts too) of Nick Saban, they won the BCS National Championship a year ago – it would have been a much more exhilarating to read about that season, than long forgotten Mike Dubose’s season (who?) of 12 years ago.
Regardless, it was a great read in anticipation of kickoff in 4 weeks!
Boomer Sooners!
(less)

like · see review

Sep 16, 2011 Justin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

I have two annual traditions to get me appropriately amped up for football season: I re-watch The Program and I reread Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer. The second is going to get me in trouble one day when I spend a large portion of my life’s savings on an incredibly inefficient and expensive monstrosity. Warren St. John’s delightful book follows the Alabama Crimson Tide’s 1999 football season by RV.

With a product part sports book, part travelogue, and part popular social science book, St. John show...more

like · see review

Oct 03, 2011 Jeremy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Incredibly fast, easy read. Don't have to be a football fan to get something out of it.

St. John is a rabid Alabama football fan, but also is interested in 'going native' with the most hardcore of the hardcore fans. So he buys a dilapidated RV and travels to every game the Tide plays in 1999. Along the way he recounts the on field action and the off field hi-jinks. We encounter a cast of memorable characters including 'The Chicken Man', 'The Show Chicken Man' (different guy), "The Heart Transplan...more

like · see review

Feb 11, 2008 A. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to A. by: Ash Crowe

Shelves: 2008, football, books-about-the-south

Not only is this a love song to the eternal madness -- and it is a madness; I know I'm crazy about Carolina basketball, in a frequently awful way, and I am trying to change it, but it is hard, it is years of habit of being insane about Carolina basketball -- of the fan, but it had some fascinating tiny moments of vision about race issues in the American South. You can't really talk about football in the American South without talking about racial issues, and they crept into St. John's book in a...more

like · see review

Dec 01, 2007 Tony rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Alabama fans, not many others

If you like 'Bama football and RVs, this will be the perfect book for you. If you live in the northeast and don't understand the rest of the country's obsession with college football, this could also be a great book for you. Otherwise, there are better sports books on the market, like anything by David Halberstam or Roger Kahn to name a couple.

The framing device for this book is fairly standard, Warren St. John follows the Alabama football team through a season of ups and downs, hanging out wit...more If you like 'Bama football and RVs, this will be the perfect book for you. If you live in the northeast and don't understand the rest of the country's obsession with college football, this could also be a great book for you. Otherwise, there are better sports books on the market, like anything by David Halberstam or Roger Kahn to name a couple.

The framing device for this book is fairly standard, Warren St. John follows the Alabama football team through a season of ups and downs, hanging out with some of the team's most obsessive fans, the RV convoyers who arrive at the stadium days before kickoff. At first, he bums rides to the games, but midway through the book, he catches the fever, buys a "cheap" RV and parties like a man on a mission.

The frame up was enough to get him on NPR but not enough to keep my interest. My unhappiness with this book can be summed up in three simples bullets:
1) I wish that he had chosen more interesting people. After hearing about the tenth person who gave up some significant portion of their life to get to the 'Bama game to party by Wednesday, well enough. More people doesn't make the party more interesting, just filled with more obsessive types.

2) He's not that good of a writer. Pearls of wisdom don't drop off the page. To carry off this kind of a book, you have to transport the reader to another life. St. John didn't do that. Perhaps because he started off the book as an outsider, I too am kept at arm's length. Maybe his fandom isn't as infectious as all that.

3) I'll also go on record saying the obvious racism bothers me. In this exclusive group, the color of your skin matters. Being from the northeast, that seems so last century.

Somewhere in the book, even St. John admits that there is no rational reason to root for on team over another. Our choices are largely determined by geography or genes. We want to belong, to be a part of larger community, a member of the team. I wanted to love this book, but hey I can't recommend it to others. Punt. (less)

like · see review

Jan 10, 2013 Will rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"My team is the Alabama Crimson Tide. Growing up a Tide fan in the 1970s gave me an unrealistic sense of what it means to be a fan, for the simple reason that in the 1970s Alabama won, and being a sports fan is largely about learning to cope with losing. In most sports there is just one champion per year - every four years if you're into a sport like World Cup soccer - so for the overwhelming majority of fans, losing at least once a season is a near certainty. In my childhood, this small kink in...more

like · see review

Mar 12, 2012 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just because it took me 4.5 months to read this book doesn't mean I didn't like it -- it just means I was able to put it down. For a really long time.

St John, like me, grew up as an Alabama fan but, unlike me, did not attend UA, so he decides to follow the Tide for a season among the RV people. And it is fascinating. Unfortunately for him, he embarked on this project during a low-period in Crimson lore: the Mike Dubose era. But at least that was the year he took them to the SEC championship.

Ea...more

like · see review

Jan 01, 2013 Jennifer Watson rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am an Alabama fan by birth, but reluctant sports fan in general. I was not interested in this book but my husband was reading it on a trip and I'd run out of my own reading material, I was truly surprised at how enjoyable a read it was! The style flowed well, although I have to admit I skimmed when St. John detailed games play by play. Aside from that it was an interesting dive into the RV subculture.

like · see review

Feb 20, 2013 Marilee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

I'm not a sports fan, but I always interested in finding out what motivates people and why they are interested in things that I don't get at all. This book does examine the subject of sports fandom, partially through depicting the author's deepening obsession. I don't know that it finally answers the questions it poses about the nature of sports fandon, but it is a fun and interesting read.

like · see review

Jun 19, 2011 Greg rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

LOVED IT!!!! New York Times Reporter and Birmingham, Alabama native Warren St.John spends one season among the most devoted fans of the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide football team. Part anthropologist, part psychologist and part comedian this book will have you shaking your head and laughing yourself silly. This is a serious study of fan psychology that is both funny and irresistible.

like · see review

Jul 16, 2009 Lindsay rated it 4 of 5 stars

A good light read written by a NY Times reporter who decides to immerse himself in the craziness that is Alabama football (he is an Alabama native). He lives in a RV for one (two?) seasons and meets many interesting people along the way. Very interesting to learn about this smaller world of people obsessed with something I no nothing about and really don't care much about.

like · see review

Jul 09, 2011 Lynn rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is one of my favorite books of the past year and not just because I'm a Bama fan. The book is so well done even non-sports fans will appreciate it. The absurdity that comes from such passionate pursuits has broad appeal. I laughed out loud many times while reading this book, and St. John never mocks anyone. That's quite a talent and shows maturity as a writer.

like · see review

Aug 13, 2009 Amber rated it 3 of 5 stars

A fun book to read, especially for any college football fan. You think UK fans are nuts? Just read about the Alabama RV football fans St. John travels and tailgates with during one season! They are simply crazy and completely entertaining! And I learned a lot about the 'Bama football legacy...a good read!

like · see review

Feb 06, 2009 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is pee-your-pants funny. I am an Alabama fan but ANYONE who loves football or any sport for that matter will enjoy this book. Every fan base has "those" fans that this book is written about. Anyways read it. It's great. And it's being made into a movie soon. ROLL TIDE :)

like · see review

Mar 15, 2008 Dave rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sports

A great book about what is like to be obsessed with Alabama football.

I am obsessed but the level of obsession I have begins and ends with only really caring about whether or not 'Bama wins it's next game in whatever sport is in season.

The people that travel and tail gate at Crimson Tide games are another story.

When I was in school at Tuscaloosa, it was amazing to see people begin gathering on Wednesday for a Saturday afternoon game.

I am no stranger to partying, but don't they have some sort...more

like · see review

Oct 24, 2011 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

I found this book really interesting, but I couldn't sit down and read more than ~10-20 pages at a time. Probaby just the type of book. I did bring this book up in conversation a lot, and would recommend it to anyone who follows football. Or doesn't.

like · see review

Feb 17, 2012 Linnae rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: true-tales

A glimpse into the heart of the true sports fan--for whom the stats of his team are as familiar as a family members', a win is triumph and glory, and a loss utter tragedy.

For me, this book was akin to reading about a foreign culture that I had heard of but never really understood. I don't know that I'd fit in very well in Alabama! I had season tickets to BYU Cougar football all 4 years I was there, and had a great time going to the games with my family and roommates, but my personal world did n...more

like · see review

Nov 20, 2009 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: SEC college football fans

Recommended to Rebecca by: Shannon

Shelves: scott-read

Yes, I realize that I am a devoted Tennessee football fan, reading a book about crazed Alabama fans. However, this book is really applicable to all SEC football fans (ahem, Julia) and totally enjoyable. I have been saving it for the last year or so to read during football season and have read it slowly over the last three months (slowly only due to all the other reading I have for grad school). Warren St. John really makes the unbelievable highs and the gut-wrenching lows of fandom come alive. I...more

like · see review

Jul 27, 2007 Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Alabama fans

Shelves: alabamaauthors, sports, alabama, biosandmemoirs, audiobooks, southernculture

The author is from Birmingham and an major Alabama fan, so right off I was excited about this book. The author buys a used RV and spends a year tailgating Alabama games and making friends with other RVers. We learn an enormous amount about RVs: how expensive they are (as much as a real house!), the decor, maintenance, etc. One guy's RV is so proud of his expensive RV that he lets people come in and take a look. Although the author attends Alabama games, he is really studying fan culture in gener...more

like · see review

Jul 27, 2011 Andi marked it as did-not-finish

I wanted to really love this book. Especially after laughing my way through the introduction and first few chapters. After that, it just fizzled. It became too detailed over the nuances of fanmania and hunting for a RV. I ran out of gas...

like · see review

Aug 09, 2010 Gwyneth rated it 4 of 5 stars

I kind of want to give this book 5 stars because I found it really interesting despite the fact that it was mostly about college football. If someone had any interest in football or really sports in general I would highly recommend this book! As it is, I liked it for his narrative and exploration of fandom.

like · see review

Jul 11, 2010 Jacqueline added it

Crazy inside look at fandom. Certainly a subset of American culture that I wasn't aware of. Interesting to see how community is generated in different ways... all to reinforce our need to be part of something bigger than ourselves.

like · see review

Apr 12, 2011 Terry rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club-that-shall-not-be-named, non-fiction, sports, football, ebook

Mr. St. John and I will have to agree to disagree on much of what he says about football fandom. That being said, I enjoyed the book. It's well-written and, despite the fact that I have zero connection to the Crimson Tide, I found the subject interesting.

like · see review

Apr 10, 2010 Megan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Seriously, a must-read for any sports fan who has ever wondered if he/she might actually be just a little bit crazy. My friend and I listened to the audio recording of this book on our drive from Rochester to Indianapolis and back for the Final Four, and it kept us highly entertained the whole way. The book is extremely well-written and well-researched, combining a perfect blend of wit and wisdom. Warren St. John is somehow able to articulate the thoughts I never quite could about why it is that...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 41 42 next »

Non Fiction

20 users

Travel

6 users

Autobiography > Memoir

5 users

Humor

3 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Warren St. John

Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, an American Town

Outcasts United: The Story of a Refugee Soccer Team That Changed a Town

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Journey Into the Heart of Fan Mania

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Rammer Jammer Yel...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania
avg rating	preview: Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania Goodreads rating: 4.01 (787 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/90007.Rammer_Jammer_Yellow_Hammer?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320531263l/90007.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/90007.Rammer_Jammer_Yellow_Hammer?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania by Warren St. John[/url]

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (8)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Warren St. John

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Rammer Jammer Yel...

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (8)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Warren St. John

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Rammer Jammer Yel...

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (8)