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I take naps...especially on Sunday afternoons.

Pro sports are welcome to advertise any agenda they choose. They are a specific and private entity. I am equally welcome to not participate in the said agenda by not helping their Nielsen ratings.

College and high school athletics can and do espouse everything from pink uniforms for Breast Cancer Awareness (no kidding, a local high school had "Save the Boobies" signs to hand out), to any of the 15-minute "Awareness" movements that have landscaped culture over the past 5 years. With each of those, the schools are either gaining leverage and approval with a particular group, or losing participants or fans that are not interested. It is an interesting time to grab a bag of popcorn and watch schools paint themselves into a corner, and then wonder why folks are not "woke" to their way of thinking. I give you SI's article in January 2020 that lists several reasons for the decline in attendance at college football games, one being "kids these days" as Pat Fitzgerald of Northwestern opined. The choices have economic consequences...surprise.

In each case, if there is something that I disagree with vehemently, I can choose to "take my business elsewhere" and change a channel or not attend. Those times are rare for me, but have happened a few more times the past 3 years than in the previous 60.

I'll probably eventually become that GET OFF MY LAWN guy...eventually.

In the meantime, I still don't see how we get into the present Big 12 during the next shakeup. Too many variables like BYU and Boise, and too many "Chicken-Littles" in the current Big 12 to take the risk on SMU.
We may find our way there, but I'm not sure it would be better than where we are now.

peruna81 wrote:College and high school athletics can and do espouse everything from pink uniforms for Breast Cancer Awareness (no kidding, a local high school had "Save the Boobies" signs to hand out), to any of the 15-minute "Awareness" movements that have landscaped culture over the past 5 years. With each of those, the schools are either gaining leverage and approval with a particular group, or losing participants or fans that are not interested. It is an interesting time to grab a bag of popcorn and watch schools paint themselves into a corner, and then wonder why folks are not "woke" to their way of thinking. I give you SI's article in January 2020 that lists several reasons for the decline in attendance at college football games, one being "kids these days" as Pat Fitzgerald of Northwestern opined. The choices have economic consequences...surprise.

O.K. so now we finally know why so few people attend SMU athletic events. Thanks for clarifying.

Charleston Pony wrote:

peruna81 wrote:College and high school athletics can and do espouse everything from pink uniforms for Breast Cancer Awareness (no kidding, a local high school had "Save the Boobies" signs to hand out), to any of the 15-minute "Awareness" movements that have landscaped culture over the past 5 years. With each of those, the schools are either gaining leverage and approval with a particular group, or losing participants or fans that are not interested. It is an interesting time to grab a bag of popcorn and watch schools paint themselves into a corner, and then wonder why folks are not "woke" to their way of thinking. I give you SI's article in January 2020 that lists several reasons for the decline in attendance at college football games, one being "kids these days" as Pat Fitzgerald of Northwestern opined. The choices have economic consequences...surprise.

O.K. so now we finally know why so few people attend SMU athletic events. Thanks for clarifying.

CP, hardly that.
Replying to OP and last few posts. My own opinions per the previous two posts.
Regarding attendance, the SI article is interesting because it mentions everything from cell phones to Fitzgerald's comment.

Regarding Pro sports, the politicizing and culture conditioning has been a HUGE reason I don't bother with Cowboy games anymore...well, that and the fact that they have been a clown show since Jimmy Johnson

Hope that helps.

I think the Big 12 would be lucky to have us. I see good growth in the local market and an improving product on the field. SMU stock should be a "buy", a good long term investment. But, to stay on topic;

peruna81 wrote:(no kidding, a local high school had "Save the Boobies" signs to hand out)

What do you have against boobies?

HubbaHubba wrote:I think the Big 12 would be lucky to have us. I see good growth in the local market and an improving product on the field. SMU stock should be a "buy", a good long term investment. But, to stay on topic;

peruna81 wrote:(no kidding, a local high school had "Save the Boobies" signs to hand out)

What do you have against boobies?

Too easy to fall into that, err, minefield.

Ministerially speaking, I am grateful to the Creator for all His creation.

My comment was directed at the fact that the local College Station HS principal would sign off on the signs. A little edgy for me, I guess.

Interesting times we live in...

HubbaHubba wrote:What do you have against boobies?

If I said "not enough", would that get me in trouble with the mods?

In all seriousness though, one of the things I like most about the college game vs. the pros is its relative "purity". To me the college game is still predominantly a team sport concept vs. just a collection of overpaid individuals. I hope the NIL stuff and transfer rules are able to strike a balance between being good for the kids and still retaining the purity of the college gamely experience where you root for the same student-athletes year after year and where you're not overly bombarded by commercialism, etc.

I would 100X prefer going to an SMU football or basketball game over their pro equivalents.

Completely agree, PP. And with my friend peruna81.

I’ve got to get this off my chest.

Woke progressivism is both a myth - for every instance of true progress we make, we take at least one step backwards - as well as a faith-based religion. It gets really, really tiring being constantly lectured to when all you want to do is watch a little football or catch up on current events, or love your country or your family.

Look, the Left does have a few good points that conservatives should heed (see concern for the poor). But it is sprinting down a blind path to its own destruction. How? By ignoring signals and continuing full-speed-ahead with an agenda of unrelenting change that far outpaces society’s ability to digest it. It’s change for change’s sake, by *any* means necessary. And it’s really quite ugly.

All of this is why Trump exists. The Left created him by steamrolling its agenda at all costs, by acting as if anyone who slightly disagrees is criminally stupid. A revolution is coming if we continue down this path. It’s simple human nature. You cannot call half of the population stupid or otherwise pretend they don’t exist. People will only take the middle finger so long while you use the other hand to tear down their country, their families, and everything else that is near and dear to them.

ponyboy wrote:Completely agree, PP. And with my friend peruna81.

I’ve got to get this off my chest.

Woke progressivism is both a myth - for every instance of true progress we make, we take at least one step backwards - as well as a faith-based religion. It gets really, really tiring being constantly lectured to when all you want to do is watch a little football or catch up on current events, or love your country or your family.

Look, the Left does have a few good points that conservatives should heed (see concern for the poor). But it is sprinting down a blind path to its own destruction. How? By ignoring signals and continuing full-speed-ahead with an agenda of unrelenting change that far outpaces society’s ability to digest it. It’s change for change’s sake, by *any* means necessary. And it’s really quite ugly.

All of this is why Trump exists. The Left created him by steamrolling its agenda at all costs, by acting as if anyone who slightly disagrees is criminally stupid. A revolution is coming if we continue down this path. It’s simple human nature. You cannot call half of the population stupid or otherwise pretend they don’t exist. People will only take the middle finger so long while you use the other hand to tear down their country, their families, and everything else that is near and dear to them.

This c1rcl3 j3rk of conservative "virtue"-signaling does not belong on this board. But it's entertaining.

Dukies response just validated his thesis. Interesting

Sigh. Yes.

All these complaints about politics in sports on a sports forum are ironically political and quite a beating. I am here to talk about sports not to read about all of your gripes with the woke left. You are as insufferable as the athletes you are complaining about.

panhandle_pony wrote:Dukies response just validated his thesis. Interesting

Heh. By all means, explain how? All I want is nobody’s politics on this board. I don’t want ponyboy to feel “criminally stupid,” his Baylor-love notwithstanding. I’ve never pretended he “doesn’t exist.” I’m not “tear[ing] down [his] country, [his family], and everything else that is near and dear to [him].”

I just don’t care to read about his political grievances. Go elsewhere with that crap.

I agree with the majority- to wit: no politics on this board. You could have simply stated that. But you didn’t. The manner in which you responded was just an example of the lack of civility PB referenced in his political statement.

Dukie wrote:

panhandle_pony wrote:Dukies response just validated his thesis. Interesting

Heh. By all means, explain how? All I want is nobody’s politics on this board. I don’t want ponyboy to feel “criminally stupid,” his Baylor-love notwithstanding. I’ve never pretended he “doesn’t exist.” I’m not “tear[ing] down [his] country, [his family], and everything else that is near and dear to [him].”

I just don’t care to read about his political grievances. Go elsewhere with that crap.

Says the guy that brings politics into the discussion constantly. And can’t even say no politics without being political.

Sign if the tines I guess. Back to football…

As for the pros, and sticking to the game, I started my down hill opinion when the Baltimore Colts moved to a new town. Obviously the Dallas Cowboys can become the Little Rock Cowboys by next year. That won’t happen in high school or college.