There is a difference between just attending Texas A&M and being an Aggie.
As Aggies, we hold ourselves to a certain set of social rules — a higher standard, if you will. We don’t walk on the grass at the MSC, we don’t “boo” opponents and we don’t tear each other down.
So let’s get one thing straight: The players on the field in the maroon jerseys and the students holding down the east side of Kyle Field till the end of the game are Aggies. The few students insulting our players last Saturday while wearing maroon T-shirts are just people attending Texas A&M.
Aggies don’t do that. We support each other, win or lose.
I get it. It’s frustrating when Kenny Hill misses a wide-open receiver. But it’s silly to say that our team is lazy. They pour over tapes, analyze game strategies and spend long hours doing intensive workouts that a lot of us can’t imagine doing ourselves. You don’t get muscle mass like that overnight (seriously, these people are living giants) and nothing about Kevin Sumlin’s demeanor says he lets his players slack off.
We pass into a weird territory of hypocrisy when we start insulting our players.
You are allowed to be unhappy with the way the game is turning out, even disappointed. But unless you are signing up for the years of hard labor so that you can in turn spend the bulk of your college experience earning money for other people, leave the scolding to Sumlin.
This is not an “everyone should get a trophy” column, but let’s not undercut the work that these players have put into representing our University, into representing us.
Here’s hoping we make a tradition out of crushing the Crimson Tide in their own house. But, regardless, let’s not forget what it means to be an Aggie on gameday.
Aimee Breaux is an applied math junior and managing editor for The Battalion.