Nick Saban having finished third in a special Senate election for the state in December 2017 is satire. Rather, a satirical sports site grossly overstated the University of Alabama football head coach’s performance in the December 2017 vote that saw Democrat Doug Jones beat Republican Roy Moore.
During a special election, Jones beat Republican Roy Moore in a tight race for the Senate seat left vacant by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Where did this satire originate? The Daily Snark published the satirical news on Dec. 12, 2017, that the popular Alabama football head coach had received substantial support from voters on a sharply divided ballot that drew national attention with regards to the Alabama Senate seat.
According to the Snark‘s story, another Alabaman was in the race:
The results of the 2017 United States Senate Special Election In Alabama were surprising. Even more surprising is who came in third – the head coach for the local college football team.
Nick Saban, head coach for the University of Alabama football team received 20,500 write-in votes for the election to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions, yes, even despite losing the Iron Bowl.
Some Alabama residents were so admit about nominating him, they even paid for and ran ads to inform others how to write in Saban as their vote.
However, there is no truth to the above story, according to Snopes. The video included in the satirical story was not as claimed by The Daily Snark to have been posted by residents who “paid for and ran ads to inform others” on how to write the coach in on their ballot. Rather, that video was put together and published by American Bridge 21st Century, which is a liberal super PAC.
Snopes noted that it received no verification from the Alabama Secretary of State’s office as to whether Saban actually received any write-in votes besides at least one voter. During the Alabama Senate race, Greg Dobbins told MSNBC that he voted for Saban instead of either Jones or Moore. Of course, that information would naturally lead to some to question how many others might have voted for Saban.
Here are some examples of people sharing the satirical news on social media.
Nick Saban Came In 3rd Place In Alabama Senate Election With Over 20k Write-In Votes https://t.co/9CZE56xjS0 via @DailySnark
— Dallas A. Powell, jr (@dapowellii) December 13, 2017
Nick Saban Came In 3rd Place In Alabama Senate Election With Over 20k Write-In Votes https://t.co/T78Zc8NATF via @DailySnark
— Pat (@ellenor80) December 13, 2017
Came in third place just like Bama in the SEC this year! #WastedVotes https://t.co/KQmOwq1Hki
— Graham Brooks (@The_GBrooks) December 13, 2017
Hmmm apparently we can thank Nick Saban for the Roy Moore loss. Was planning on thanking Common Sense but I guess a Roll Tide is in order.
Nick Saban Came In 3rd Place In Alabama Senate Election With Over 20k Write-In Votes https://t.co/SL5pbsNL1l via @DailySnark— Jake Crocker (@JakeCrocker) December 14, 2017
Nick Saban Came In 3rd Place In Alabama Senate Election With Over 20k Write-In Votes https://t.co/AgGibKKy1m via @DailySnark
— Grace Delanoy (@begraced) December 13, 2017
For the 2017 special Alabama Senate race, 22,780 write-in votes were reportedly recorded. According to Alabama law, though, write-in votes must be tallied if they outnumber the difference in vote totals between the top two candidates in non-municipal state elections.
Finally, and most importantly, the Daily Snark carries the following disclaimer:
Daily Snark is your sports, news, and entertainment satire website. We provide you with the latest breaking news, memes and videos!
What did you think of the satirical news that Saban finished third in the special Alabama Senate race? Did you believe the satirical news or see people sharing it falsely on social media? Let us know in the comments section.
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