Alabama is not just one of the most popular brands in college football, it’s one of the most popular brands in all of sports.

Those who detest the Crimson Tide can’t get away from them, if you’re watching any sports show or sports broadcast, Alabama is sure to be mentioned somewhere.

After winning two of the last three national titles, Alabama has been at the center of the college football for several years now, and the media jumps at any opportunity to cover them. ESPN is the still the “worldwide leader,” and they are no exception to the industry’s infatuation with the college football team in Tuscaloosa.

A new piece on Al.com dives into the interesting relationship between ESPN and Alabama, and why they pair so nicely together.

“There is a want for Alabama,” said Lee Fitting, ESPN vice president of production. “There is an intrigue about Alabama. People like success. People like seeing really good teams lose. And people like learning about really good teams. When a team rates, it’s like, ‘Why not do more? Why not try to put more of their games in high-profile spots? Why not try to do access-type series and feature stories and interviews on that?’ The viewers want it. We should be doing more of it.”

As each year goes on and the team continues to win, the Alabama brand itself continues to become more popular, especially in the state of Alabama itself.

“The Crimson Tide has appeared in half of the ten most-watched cable telecasts ever, and the city of Birmingham has been the No. 1 local market for ESPN’s college football games ever since the network started to track those ratings.”

The relationship between ESPN and Alabama hasn’t been one-sided either. In fact, Saban first brought up the idea that he could play both quarterbacks this season in an interview with ESPN’s Chris Low, instead of talking to other outlets in the state or local media.

“ESPN is one-stop shopping,” said Finebaum. “If a story breaks on dot-com, it’s disseminated a lot more quickly. I have worked in local and if something comes out on a more local or regional level, it will get picked up if it’s Nick Saban. But it’s a lot easier this way, so why bother? Just go to ESPN.”

The ESPN-Alabama relationship is symbiotic, Alabama gets the best coverage and ESPN owns some of the best broadcasting rights and can get the stories first. As long as the Crimson Tide continue to have success, you can expect to see that trend continue.