As football season gets well under way and homecoming draws nearer, Apache Nation should be getting little school spirit. I know I’m focusing on football and not to take away from other sports, because I am a former volleyball player, but let’s get realistic, this is Texas. Texas is a football state. College schools are well known for their fierce loyalty and team spirit that in some cases, is taken to the extremes.
You might have heard of the “Battle of the Brazos” and if you have not it is a fierce rivalry between the Baylor Bears and A&M.; Everyone always hears about Longhorns versus Aggies, but Aggies have had an ongoing battle of pranks and jokes with the Bears that in some cases went too far. A group of Aggies students stole the Baylor Bear in the 1950s but the bear soon became enraged and they released it about 20 miles outside of Waco after it destroyed the car. The Baylor bear is a living animal, please keep this in mind, there is no proof that the students had serious intentions of harming the animal, but the situation could have easily escalated out of control.
Does doing something to show school spirit justify the actions? No! There are boundaries, jokes and pranks against rival schools may begin as horseplay or just for a laugh but they could have long term consequences. Painting the wall of a rival school your team color would be epic, because you either succeeded in a prank that will be talked about for years or you get caught and expelled for vandalism and your academic record is forever blemished. Have some taste, cheering at a game and wearing the colors get the point across.
