THE QATSPY® Yankee Performance Sports Training & Apparel Quarters
By: Charles W. Boatright
Not Your Normal SEC Media Days Kick Off- For those that might not have Tuned in on Wednesday to SEC Media Days, this was Breaking News
I don’t think the timing of the Breaking News at SEC Media Days in Hoover, Alabama was lost on the fact that Coach Jimbo Fisher, Head Coach of Texas A&M, was about ready to take the podium at the SEC press conference. I can’t help to think that the timing was just a coincidence, when the News broke that the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners were seeking to join the Southeast Conference. Like Coach Eliah Drinkwitz, Head Football Coach at Missouri, stated during his presentation at SEC Media Days, Who wouldn’t want to be in the SEC, the premier conference in the Nation!
This was also the day before Coach Sam Pittman, Head Coach for Arkansas, was going to give his presentation. But, I enjoyed Coach Pittman’s comment that Arkansas will play Texas Longhorns on the second game this season on Saturday, September 11, 2021 at Arkansas 6:00 PM. The reason this was noteworthy concerning Texas A&M and Arkansas were both teams (AR and TX A&M) were part of the old SWC (Southwest Conference).
Most SEC Media Days are absent of any real excitement, except for this one and how NIL was going to impact and play out in college sports. With NIL and then this announcement of Oklahoma and Texas wanting to join the SEC, I’m surprised that the U.S. Geological Service didn’t register seismic activity on their Richter Scale in the vicinity of Hoover, Alabama. Hoover, Alabama was definitely the Epicenter for sports NEWS on 21Jul2021. These two topics created the buzz that set the tone for the remainder of the conference. At least NIL wasn’t the burning topic at SEC Media Days that afternoon on Wednesday, July 21, 2021.
Just an observation on my part– Both Oklahoma and Texas are the anchor teams for the Big-12 Conference. Without these two teams, the Big-12 Conference will drift into in other directions. Oklahoma and Texas’ entrance into the SEC could spell the breakup of the Big-12 Conference and that will in turn create the SUPER CONFERENCE in the SEC, consisting of 16- teams. There are, of course, four historical rivalries that could be re-instituted, Arkansas with Texas, Texas with Texas A&M, Missouri with Oklahoma, and Texas with Oklahoma.
Four Teams From the Old Southwest Conference
NOTE: At one time in the early part of the SWC, Oklahoma University was a part of the old SWC.
This announcement would complete the puzzle by putting together *four (4) of the major teams from the old Southwest Conference (SWC), with steep rivalries that date back to the late 1800’s. This is especially true with rivalries like the ones between Arkansas with Texas and Oklahoma with Texas, known as The Red River Rivalry.
(*) The four Teams of the SWC: Arkansas Razorbacks, Oklahoma Sooners, Texas AM Aggies, and Texas Long Horns
I’m old enough to remember one particular historical rivalry game between Arkansas and Texas Football teams in 1969. This Football Game was dubbed The Game of the Century. This game was played at Fayetteville, Arkansas, in rainy conditions. This was the game for the National Title with the President of the United States, President Richard Milhous Nixon, in attendance.
I can remember this game like it was played last week. I was in attendance with my grandfather and grandmother. Second time that I been that close to a President of The United States. My grandparents didn’t miss a home game on the Hill. They had been attending Razorback games on the Hill since their engagement in November 20, 1925, shown in the photograph above. This photograph was taken at the rest area off U.S. Hwy 65, overlooking Buffalo River State Park, before it later became a National Park. They were heading up to see Oklahoma State University and University of Arkansas play football. At that time, they lived in Leslie, Arkansas, just off U.S. Hwy 65. The railroad Depot is still there where my grandfather worked.
The drawback to the old Southwest Conference was that there were essentially two States consisting of Texas teams and one of Arkansas team later on in the SWC. One of the best moves that Frank Broyles made as Athletic Director at The University of Arkansas was to join the Southeast Conference in 1992 along with South Carolina; of course, this move of Arkansas eventually dissolved the old SWC in 1996 that was established in 1914.
As a young Arkansas Razorback fan, I dreamed of playing teams like Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Ole Miss, LSU, and Mississippi State as part of our regular schedule. That would be the desire of any fan to play the blue bloods of College Football. I understand Texas A&M’s concerns with Texas wanting to come into the SEC. What is different in the SEC, Texas will not have the lion’s share of revenue like they had in the ole SWC, Texas will have to evenly sharing the revenue with the other schools. Texas took more than their share in the ole SWC. Believe me, as a Arkansas fans, I feel your concerns Texas A&M, but look, you have the entire SEC right behind you, as Texas A&M fans. I’ve always looked forward to the ole SWC rivalry game between Arkansas and Texas A&M each year.
Texas A&M fans, this is the best way to approach this merger as the old rivalry games from the SWC without having to put up with Texas Longhorn’s revenue grab. Look at it as an opportunity.
I also realize that Texas considers themselves the blue bloods, instead of just being blue collar-type teams and fans that most SEC teams and fan bases are. When you tailgate with the schools within the SEC, fans don’t make a distinction between fan bases. A great example of that was this past Super Regional in June of 2021 at Dudy Noble Baseball Field, where Mississippi State fans in the Left Field Lounge, The Left Field Lounge is shown in the featured photograph with Miss. Mississippi State Delta Rose, were handing smoked and grilled meats over to the other team’s fans and receiving a thumbs-up for their hospitality and quality of their food. The Left Field Lounge is known for its hospitality, grilling, and smoking are part of Mississippi State tailgating experience at baseball games. Mississippi in known for their hospitality.
I realize also that Texas fans have been humbled over the past two decades with less than stiller performances. This might be some comfort to the Texas A&M fan base that Texas is no longer The Big Brother. Or as one radio host described it, as Texas fans and their administration being the ole ex-boyfriend or ex-husband, calling up the formal girlfriend or ex-wife and wanting to know if she would like to have a drink and want to make amends as the ex-husband cries in his beer.
THE MORAL OF THE STORY-
This is why sports and having our young people be involved in sports is so important to our society. This is the very reason why we have Cancel Culture on our campus and in professorships, because our young people aren’t involved in sports to challenge ideas and thought processes to compare them with what has worked for centuries. Sports teaches us to be respectful instead of being resentful and seeking revenge that is the worst possible course of action or reaction to take in life. Instead be like Texas A&M case that proved the best revenge is being successful. The reason pursuing success is the best course of action– You don’t have to apologize or lower your standards to others levels that wronged you; and you don’t waste energy on unproductive pursuits.
Take recruiting for instance, If you’re an athlete in Texas and Texas Longhorns pass you over, guess what, you can come to Arkansas, LSU, Missouri, Alabama, or any other SEC team and face Texas and show them what they passed on in not recruiting you. A great example of this is DeVonta Smith that was passed up by many teams to find his place at Alabama, Coach Nick Saban, Head Football Coach at Alabama, has an excellent intuitive sense for raw talent, both in athletes and coaching staff.
Like two of the old adages goes- When you seek revenge you better dig two graves, one for the person you’re seeking revenge against and your own. The second adage- Revenge is best served up COLD! When you seek success instead of revenge as a direct action on your part, you make that other person(s) irrelevant. And placing someone in the place of being irrelevant is the best revenge in itself!
When you are encountering difficulty, a great resource to turn to is what you learned from SPORTSMANSHIP! You will be a better person for it and what characteristics it teaches.
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The featured photograph was taken at Dudy Noble Left Field Lounge, where Miss. Mississippi is wear one of our A-2 Leather Flight Jacket. These are the same A-2 Leather Flight Jackets that we furnish to the U.S. Military.
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