Rivalries

I grew up in an Aggie household. One of my aunts was a part of the first class of women admitted to A&M, and I had two sets of aunts and uncles who attended the university. Watching the Thanksgiving Day rivalry game against the Longhorns was a fun tradition. My Aunt Louise also made us watch the Cowboys every Thanksgiving, but that is another story.

The family affinity for Texas A&M did not survive to my generation. Four of my cousins went to UT for undergrad and I did my graduate work there. Thanksgiving Day football was much more exciting with the cross-generational rivalry dividing the living room and my grandmother imploring everyone to behave. The games were good fun, and the Longhorns usually won.

Watching the return of the annual Texas – Texas A&M game was a thrill, but I am also a little saddened by what I saw at several of the rivalry games this weekend. It seems that the good, healthy fun of these contests is being negatively influenced by the media and changes in society. These rivalries were once steeped in pride and tradition with divided families having a good time.

They now feel more like a blood sport.

Maybe I am just being nostalgic for something that never really existed, but I don’t remember fights and explicitly nasty fan signs being aired on television. I fear that animosity and drama are being hyped by the networks to drive ratings while social media is raising the emotional stakes and amplifying divisions. These games seem to be heading the way of national politics with neither side being able to speak to or understand the other. The ugliness I saw yesterday is discouraging.

I am all for preserving history and culture. Making fun of Aggies is a rich Texas tradition. I’ll admit to telling a few Aggie jokes here and there, but I don’t hate my fellow Texans and do not believe that the outcome of a football game on Thanksgiving weekend should divide friends and family or negatively affect your emotional state. These games are special, and we should work to keep them that way. Hug an Aggie today – and remember it's Thanksgiving!