Auburn fans are not happy with Charles Barkley at the moment. Their basketball program’s most prominent alumnus made an admission that will not go over well on The Plains.
He admitted that Alabama has, and always will, own the Iron Bowl rivalry.
Barkley was in attendance at Neville for his school’s win over its in-state rival on Wednesday night. The Tigers beat the Crimson Tide by 18. It was a statement victory for a program that is on a tremendous roll at 19-4.
Despite the win, which Barkley predicted, took a more holistic look at the reality of each school during an on-air appearance. The 60-year-old Basketball Hall of Famer wants his alma mater (he never actually graduated) to be realistic toward its standing within the Yellowhammer State.
He explained that if you’re born in Alabama, you have to pick a team. You can either cheer for Auburn University or for the University of Alabama.
And whether we play them in softball, volleyball or whatever, we want to beat them.
— Charles Barkley
Sir Charles proceeded to say something that he knew would not go over well.
Because we are, and I know I’m going to get in trouble for saying it, we’re like the stepchild. We’re never going to be Alabama, but we want to beat them every time we play them. We’re kind of like Oklahoma State, UCLA, Kansas State. There’s nothing wrong with that. Auburn’s a great school.
— Charles Barkley
Oof.
People often say that Auburn is the “little brother” to Alabama. Charles Barkley went a step further to say stepchild.
Tigers fans are never going to live it down. Any time they come at the Crimson Tide, the Tide is going to point right back at Barkley’s comments from Wednesday. He preemptively ended any future argument about the rivalry. There is simply no way for an Auburn fan to argue that their school’s brand is on equal standing to Alabama, when one of their own is saying the quiet part out loud.
The only way this could get worse is if Bo Jackson, Cam Newton, Tim Cook, or Octavia Spencer came out to say the same. Barkley’s quip about the stepchild is something will live forever within the rivalry. It is going to be a prominent talking point until someone else steals the spotlight.