typicaltexascollegelife:

kgnadinger:

Let me be the first to say that I live and breath college sports. My family is from Kentucky. Its not exactly a land of pro sports. I was raised an avid, insane, University of Kentucky Wildcat fan. I’ve spent my entire life watching college sports - all college sports - like its a second religion. Living in Texas for most of my life and then attending Texas A&M University for the past four years has done nothing but strengthen by passion - my obsession - for college sports. I get the all-sports option and watch baseball, soccer, volleyball, track, cross country, and let’s not forget the ever important basketball and football, as well as any other game/match I can make it to. I think college sports in a huge factor at universities and the spirit and camaraderie they inspire in their students and alumni is unmatched.

However, as much as I hate to say it, college is so much more than sports.

With Texas A&M declaring their intention to leave the Big 12, and probably (hopefully in my opinion) joining the SEC, there has never been such a focus on college sports in every newspaper, news broadcast, online article, and even class discussions around me. With this has become quite a bit of tension between the University of Texas (and I’ll even be respectful and call them that rather than the normal Aggie moniker of “tu”) and Texas A&M University. I’ve always quite thought of our rivalry as a friendly one. Generally, each team’s fans treat opponents and opponent’s fans well. There’s always a rivalry, but it’s always been good natured. It’s never been hatred.

With the news of A&M leaving the Big 12, it’s turned to it. Last week, I was in Facebook in class, commenting on one of my best friend’s photos and a classmate noticed he was a University of Texas student. I’ve never heard such hatred from someone. They couldn’t believe that I was friends with a “t-sip” and still talking to him.

At first I was just angry. I mean, who was this person to tell me who to be friends with? Then I realized I had been just as unconsciously mad at UT students as they were. I had just chosen to ignore that one of my best friends was a student, but remained angry at the rest of the student body.

And with the announcement that the SEC had accepted Texas A&M, but the final decision was being held up by Baylor, among possible other schools, I, and all of my peers at Texas A&M have grown angry again. We hated every Baylor Bear. We spent the day making jokes - about their sports, about their academics, about everything - because we were mad. Heck, I even know someone who was all set to go to Baylor while he was wait listed for Texas A&M (he did get in to TAMU in the end) cussing out Baylor, saying their students were idiots, they’d never amount to anything, and their school was as worthless as reattending high school. 6 years ago, he was about to be a Baylor Bear. Now, he can’t stand them.

And the cause of all this? Sports.

It is absolutely ridiculous to me that college sports can cause all this animosity between students who have never even met each other. I love sports and I think they’re very worthwhile for a university, but the sheer amount of hatred between students at various Texas schools right now is ridiculous.

One of the greatest things I’ve done as a college student has been to make friends at colleges across the nation, but in particular at Texas schools. As previously mentioned, one of my best friends attends the University of Texas, and I have many more than that. The fact that sports is causing me to hate, without reason, so many students, my friends’ peers is ridiculous.

I came to college for an education. I came to learn from professors, from advisors, from peers - at my school and elsewhere. I did not come to be a sports fan. I can do that without paying thousands of dollars in tuition.

The fact that we, the students, are letting sports stand in the way of our education is infuriating to me. I don’t want to be unreasonably mad at people I don’t know. I don’t want to be so focused on conference realignment that every other part of my day revolves around it.

There’s a time and place for sports at universities, but every second of every day, in every class, on every Facebook/Twitter/Tumblr/newspaper is not it. The administrations should not be so focused on it. The faculty should not be so focused on it. The students should not be so focused on it.

It’s important, but it’s not the most important.

2brilliant2function:

Is it possible to have witnessed the best game of the NCAA season in it’s first week?

For those of you that missed the game, Baylor was up 47-23 in the 3rd quarter and any possibility of this game even remotely resembling a hard fought battle appeared to be a fart in a stiff wind.

But the 4th quarter absoluely BELONGED to TCU.

TCU put on a 4th quarter display the likes of which few have recently witnessed, outscoring Baylor 25 to 3.

Unfortunatley for TCU and their fans, the deficit proved to be just a bit too much as Baylor connected on the game winning field goal late in the 4th quarter.

TCU made the life of anybody affiliated with the BCS’ life a living hell last season. Between themslves and Boise State, it was almost universally believed that the BCS would do ANYTHING in it’s power to ensure that a mid major didn’t wind up in the National title game, or any BCS bowl game at all for that matter.

Those interestedin keeping mid majors out of the National title hunt are breathing a little easier.

At least for now…

big12football:

The Board of Regents at Texas A&M met today and gave President Loftin the OK to look at options for leaving Big 12 (Source). Baylor issued a study, conducted by Baylor alum Ray Perryman, on the fiscal impact of Texas A&M leaving the Big 12 (Source). And the Higher Ed committee meeting which was scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed (Source). The conference remains intact for now, but things are still shaky.

(Source: facebook.com)