Well, I could claim that it is official, but for the apparent sake of consistency, the already prolonged departure of Texas A&M University from the Big 12 Conference to the Southeastern Conference has yet to be finalized due to potential legal action by Baylor and other unnamed schools. This whole fiasco has been a sad circus of miscues and false starts and at Texas’s opening game against Rice, “The Mob” couldn’t help but include a few jabs at the Aggies in their yearly shtick. The PA’s playful announcement that A&M had finally packed their bags for “Satan’s Evil Conference” drew cheers and chuckles as “the collective GPA’s of both conferences were immediately improved…”
Although the Owl Band quickly moved on to lampooning Presidential hopeful Rick Perry, I couldn’t get past the reality of all that has taken place in the last few months leading up to the 2011 season. One thing in particular has had me scratching my head for the last few days at what frankly appears as blatant hypocrisy. So, if you don’t mind…
Dear Aggies, What’s Your Deal..?
Your hatred for the University of Texas is well known. In fact, it can sometimes border on obsession. I don’t know if it could be classified as satire, but Jim Rome’s rant on A&M makes a point. Most all the Aggie tradition you take so much pride over is devoted to one thing; displaying your utter hatred for the Texas Longhorns. As if your only reason for existence is to try to prove your superiority, or even equivalence. And yes, I get it; you have a lot of traditions and you’re proud of that. I guess the only measure for quality higher education is the quantity and length of time you’ve been doing quirky antics. It’s proof of your hatred for Texas and loyalty to A&M. That’s cool, do what makes you happy; or I guess in this case what makes you angry.
But I’m forced to assume your loyalty ends at the College Station city limits. You couldn’t care less about the Big 12, or the fact that your move to the SEC seriously jeopardizes the age-old rivalries you’ve been obsessing over for decades. I don’t blame y’all for being disloyal. Other schools got that band wagon rolling and I think every school in the Big 12 right now is realizing the need to jump ship before the conference completely disintegrates. But the unashamed ferocity with which you pursued a way out of the Big 12 stands at odds with your alleged love of tradition and desire to show up Texas. I can see it now, beleaguered Aggie fans wandering the streets of College Station in search of something to hate. I’m not quite sure how you saw off a crimson tide and the thought of a barbecued gator or tiger seems pretty hollow.
Although the process was handled with less grace than monkey operating a forklift, I’ll admit that the move to the SEC makes sense and may end up being a savvy decision down the road. But the next time an Aggie brags about their devotion to tradition, I’m gonna have to call bull crap on that one. You’re ditching more than just a failing conference right now. Good luck finding a new identity…
Okay, I think I’ve made my point and my words probably exceeded my actual passion for this subject. There was a time when I loved Texas football and the Big 12, but in the grand scheme of things I’m content with change and I’m well aware that football will never fulfill me. I drew excitement from the prospect of Texas in a PAC 16 super conference and A&M to the SEC has made sense from day 1; as a business decision at least. However, I’ve been genuinely surprised at what I have observed to be uniform support by Aggies everywhere. Really? No second thoughts whatsoever? Was the Longhorn Network that big of a deal breaker for you guys? I guess that’s what really got to me, the abruptness of it all. University heads are all flipping the board game over when the game isn’t going their way and the fans lapping it up, coaxing the collapse. I would have expected Texas A&M to be one of the most ardent supporters of the status quo, but no, they're leading the charge.
This all started when Nebraska and Colorado got fed up with the alleged mismanagement of the Big 12, and in self interest, set off for greener pastures. Texas momentarily prevented a total fragmentation of the conference, but only by throwing its market weight around and establishing its own network out of self interest. Upset by Texas’ self interest and the growing income inequality in the conference, Texas A&M sought to blaze its own trail East. Even Baylor is acting in its own self interest as current forecasts on the breakup of the Big 12 leave the Bears out to dry. The drama in these past few months has rivaled any high school cafeteria in the country. And what else would you expect? Nothing brings out the big guns like strained and severed relationships.
And at the heart of it all is money. Conference realignment and recruiting scandals made this past offseason one of the most turbulent in memory and it’s all because the business of college football is making money. A ton of money… The Big 12 isn’t in jeopardy because of lackluster play or hurt feelings; the lucrative network deals are driving this mass divorce. I wonder if fans realize these underlying motivations, or if they comprehend the possible implications of where college football is going.
Some of the oft cited reasons for the superiority of college football are the tradition and passion involved. Amateur sports are said to maintain a certain purity as players are motivated by a simple love of the game. But college football is quickly becoming an industry and the lure of a multi-million dollar program is now leaving tradition on the cutting room floor and the issue of direct player compensation appears to be the next unavoidable debate. All of this means more drama and more exposure; no thanks to our friends at ESPN. I swear this Jerry Jones management philosophy is spreading fast. It really doesn’t matter if you win, just make the whole ordeal a never ending soap opera and people will tune in.
At this point I can’t help but step back and examine my involvement in driving this train. Somewhere in the sea of fandom, I took a small part in bloating television ratings and pushing up ticket prices; the business of football is only responding to ever-expanding demand. Universities have observed the potential revenues from successful programs and responded; but world-class programs need million dollar coaches and state of the art facilities. I was recently talking to an employee of the University of Texas who had his salary frozen along with all other school staff and faculty due to state budget cuts; with exception to Mack Brown and the football personnel of course. He was perplexed by the hypocrisy of an institution which professed the priority of academics, but seemed primarily concerned with oiling the squeaky wheal of athletic demands.
So how should I respond? I’m not a fan of how quickly simple greed has turned the sport upside down, but it’s a process that I’ve taken part in. Do I take a stand and boycott football as a matter of principle? Do I tell myself that it’s simply the nature of the beast and accept change with a forced smile? I don’t have an answer, but I would encourage all fans to not simply see the details of this fiasco as more ammunition for your endless back and forth smack talk. Take a minute to realize how dirty this whole system is becoming and question whether you’re willing to follow it down the slippery slope?
