Are You A Marshmallow, A Jelly Bean, Or A Steel Ball?
by Beergut on Nov 21, 2008 3:18 PM CST
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PrintMike Sherman's use of a Bunsen burner to motivate the team has me thinking. While Sherman used a jelly bean, a marshmallow, and a steel ball to illustrate why happens to players under pressure, I think a similar connection can be made to the types of fans a program has.
Marshmallows melt under intense heat; they also give up after their team loses a game or disappear when their team faces adversity. I don't think we have many marshmallows in the Aggie fanbase, but I think we have a few more now than we did years ago. Some of that is due to a simple change in the admissions process at A&M, where we are letting in a different type of student than we were years ago. Some of it is due to cultural and environmental factors, in that schools and families are producing children too concerned about their self-esteem, and not teaching them to fight through adversity. Whatever the reason, while I think we may have a few marshmallow fans, it is a minority.
Jelly beans withstand heat for a while, but eventually crack and burn up. Similarly, we have some fans who were with this team and program at the beginning of the season, withstood the early losses, but fell apart after the last two ugly losses. I think we have more jelly beans now than we did in the past, simply because of the struggles our program experienced under Fran and now under Sherman. These fans want to believe the best in the team, but when the going gets too tough, they capitulate.
Steel balls absorb the heat, and become stronger in the process, losing their impurities. Like a steel ball, some fans just become stronger in their resolve with each loss. I've had a continued conversation with a texas fan friend of mine about the nature of losing in college football, and how it effects you as a fan. When you know your team has some major issues on both sides of the ball, and you don't expect to win a lot of games because of those issues, losing doesn't hurt as much. When you have already lost several games, losing really doesn't hurt as much. However, when you believe you have a good to great team, and you think you can really do something special, and you have won a bunch of games, losing just one game can be absolutely devastating. That one loss can make a fan go from a steel ball to a marshmallow in no time at all. The fan of a losing team, on the other hand, has been tested by losses, has absorbed the heat, and is stronger for it. This means when his team wins a game, he is still right there, still resolutely with his team. The losses just make a steel ball fan enjoy the wins that much more. We have some steel ball fans among our fanbase, but I think the ranks are shrinking. We need to stand firm behind this team, absorb the heat, and know we will be stronger for it.
So what kind of fan do you think you've been this season?
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How does the admissions process affect what kind of fans we have?
Its arguably more difficult to get into A&M now than it was years ago, academically speaking. How does that correlate to letting in students who are your “marsh mellow” fans? It doesn’t. The admissions process can in no way determine what kind of athletic fan someone will be. It can go a long way in determining what kind of student you are, or how successful you’ll be academically, but to say that the admissions process is now letting in 2 percenters is just naive.
I will agree that there has been a change in the student body and the amount of support the 12th man shows during my time here in college station, but that is the result of several factors, none of which are admissions. The issue with fan support has to do with the propagation of traditions more than anything. I’ll use howdy as an example. If you’ve spent any time on campus over the past 2 years you will definitely notice that no one uses howdy anymore. There are many theories about why this is, but the point is that its just not there.
So the question now is, who’s fault is this? Why have the traditions not all survived? Again many theories, and the answer is likely a combination of things. So this drawn out post is just to say that 2%ers are in no way a result of admissions.
There is such a thing as too much tradition.
I am a jelly bean fan. I can only take so much. I’m tired of the mediocrity that this program has become. My support has a limit. It doesn’t mean that I’m a bandwagon fan its just that I will reach point where I won’t care anymore. I will go to the games, but the losses won’t matter and hurt as much. We really haven’t been relevant in about 9-10 years. The last meaningful victory we had on a national scale was against OU in 2002 and that year we went 6-6. I can only take so much.
To 12thman11 on why the traditions haven’t survived is because alot of them are, frankly, outdated and a little bit ridiculous. The University is starting to modernize and bringing in alot more students from outside the Aggie culture, i.e. international students, and out of state students. The school is becoming more and more modern which to me is a great thing. I love the traditions here but there is a time when there is such a thing as too much tradition. I am not a fan of all the traditions at A&M and I don’t support them all because I do thing that some of them are a ridiculous. For example, I hate how people say its a bad thing too leave the game early if your team is getting embarrassed. To me that doesn’t make you a 2 percenter. I’m not ashamed to admit I have left early during the OU game, Miami game, and Kansas State game. It doesn’t make me a bad Aggie, it makes me be realistic.
to be younf and naive
The University is starting to modernize and bringing in alot more students from outside the Aggie culture
Sorry, but we were bringing in international students and out-of-state students when you were still in nursery school.
I do think a lot of people have missed out on what it means to be an Aggie, and partof that is the absence of Bonfire. The students of today don’t know what it means to work on a project that is bigger than yourself, what is feels like to accomplish something on that grand of a scale.
2012,
The things that make us Aggies extend far beyond football games. I’m sorry, but Muster and Silver Taps are two of the defining Aggie tradition, and those traditions will never be “outdated”.
You’re speaking from a position of someone who has been at A&M for what, 3-4 months, and trying to asnwer as if you are an authority.
Leaving games early doesn’t make you a “bad” Aggie, but I don’t think you can claim to be a fan, either. It isn’t just about winning and losing, it is about supporting your fellow classmates and students when they are facing adversity.
Serious question: Did you attend Fish Camp?
Can I ask something?
In all seriousness…why the obsession with the myriad of traditions? Follow on…most kids aren’t going to A&M for the traditions or the football team (if they are, is that who you really want there?), they are going to A&M to be a success later in life. Why begrudge them not living their remaining years by the dozens of traditions?
I think sometimes people put too much of their identity in an institution and team that has a strong impact, but not the only impact, on a person’s life. Yeah, I’m a very big Tech sports fan, but the fact is that I also have a life outside of Tech athletics, as do most of you. I typically have plans after games and I leave when it looks like a game is over to move on to the next thing, or to be on time. That doesn’t make me a bad fan, it makes me kind of busy.
Seems like some people have placed too much of their persona into where they went to school and the team they root for. Is that really healthy?
Not trying to pick a fight at all, just asking because to me (an obvious outsider) once you leave college, you leave college. Most of those traditions should stay there. Time for new stuff and new experiences.
I'm not begruding them anything
I just happen to believe that if you go to a football game (or any sporting event for that matter) when you are a student, you should plan on staying for the whole thing, and supporting your classmates while you do.
If seeing your team get outscored or not play well is enough to make you leave early, simply don’t go.
“Fan” is short for fanatic. How much of a fanatic are you, really, if you can’t even sit through a whole game, not matter what the outcome?
So
If A&M is losing, say, 77-0 and one person in the stands leaves to go watch a different, more exciting, and interesting other game on TV, they aren’t a “fan?” Um, what?
Also, changes to the admission process at A&M are positive. What would be another positive? Getting the Corps of Cadets down to about 25% of its current size.
There is still a bonfire
though it is off campus and not the same, its still there and still has that same spirit. Muster and Silver Taps are not the traditions in question here.
I also don’t think you should discount PT2012’s opinion so quickly, he may not have been at A&M for very long, but he’s more immersed in A&M right now than you are. As a 5th year senior I happen to agree with much of what he said. And before you ask, yes I went to Fish Camp,and I’m a 3rd generation Aggie.
What it means today to be an Aggie is different than what it meant 5, 10, 25, and 50 years ago, and that’s not a bad thing its natural. It doesn’t mean there’s no bond between the generations because there are and will always be similarities, but who honestly would want to come back to a place that hasn’t changed at all. That, when you think about it, is a scary thought because that place would lack progress, natural evolution, and common sense.
by the12thman11 on Nov 21, 2008 6:58 PM CST up reply actions
you made an interesting comment
What it means today to be an Aggie is different than what it meant 5, 10, 25, and 50 years ago, and that’s not a bad thing its natural.
What do you think about being an Aggie today is different than it was 5-10 years ago?
I think the values of loyalty and community that Aggies stress are timeless. I think the Spirit of Aggieland is timeless. I don’t think those values ever change, regardless of the time period.
Yes those are timeless values
But the whole Aggie experience is different today than it was then, and therefore it means something different. I wish I could give you more concrete examples and answers, but I wasn’t there 10 years ago, I’m here now. After I’ve been gone and come back I’ll be able to answer that, but today I can’t
by the12thman11 on Nov 22, 2008 12:55 PM CST up reply actions
Those are my favorite
Muster and Silver Taps are my favorite of all the traditions so I don’t have a problem with those. Dude the bonfire ain’t coming back to campus and I really could care less that it won’t. It really is not appealing. I went to some of the cuts this year and they were pretty stupid. Its just a bunch of dumb corps idiots yelling and screaming. I’m sorry but I don’t have “burning desire to beat the living hell outta t.u.” My hatred for “t.u.” doesn’t extend behind the sports realm. I consider them our rivals athletically and root against them except when they play Tech because I’m not a fan of Mike Leach and whatever douchebag quarterback they turnout (Sorry Tech92, I hate Graham Harrell), but I have a lot of friends that go there and have a great fondness for UT and the people there. I don’t take the rivalry farther than the sports realm as a lot of people do.
As far as leaving games early not making me a fan is ridiculous to say. If anything it makes me more of fan. Since you haven’t attended any games this year you should realize how unknowledgeable some of the “real” fans are about our teams. They keep yelling “bring back the wrecking crew” or “put McGee” every time Jerrod throws a pick. My favorite was against OU and it was a shortage situation and they started doing the J-Train hand motion even though he rarely has gotten the ball in short yardage the whole year. They may stay the whole game, but they don’t know shit about our football team or care like I do. Leaving the games in blowouts doesn’t mean that I’m not a real fan.
As to the question about Fish Camp yeah I did attend and it was a lot of fun but no camp or event is going to change my mentality towards life and how I approach it.
by PrimeTime2012 on Nov 21, 2008 8:16 PM CST up reply actions
WRT Bonfire
Dude the bonfire ain’t coming back to campus and I really could care less that it won’t. It really is not appealing. I went to some of the cuts this year and they were pretty stupid. Its just a bunch of dumb corps idiots yelling and screaming.
Bonfire isn’t coming back to campus unless we somehow get insurance coverage for everyone who wants to participate in building it. I think the experience of working on Bonfire is worth the effort, but I’m skeptical it will happen.
As for what off-campus bonfire is, I am disappointed but not surprised to hear your description of the event. When I was at A&M (‘95-’99), non-regs dominated Bonfire. The Corps was around, but we mainly used them for manual labor. There were some CTs who were pots, but by a large, they were a minor presence. With ~5,000 students being involved in the building of Bonfire, simple mathematics would tell you they played a minor role. They liked to pretend they were the ones responsible for building it, and to the media, they gave off that impression, but it was mainly a non-reg project.
If the CTs are the ones running the off-campus bonfire, I’m not surprised they are having problems. While I like the Corps in general, as an organization they can be worthless when it comes to big projects like that.
As for texas, it is funny you mention that, b/c I had and have plenty of friends who went to texas. When I was a fish, I had no issues with texas, b/c some of my friends went there and while I knew it wasn’t the right school for me, that didn’t mean it wasn’t okay for others. I came by my hatred for texas naturally. I was at the game in ‘95 when they tried to rush the field, and threw liquor bottles at us as we walked by on the track in the aftermatch. I’ve been to games in Austin wearing Aggie gear, and spent three hours at a football game being told I fornicate with all sorts of farm animals. My hatred for all things texas comes from the fact that I don’t like people who believe in treating other people like crap simply b/c they root for another school. I still have friends who root for texas, including some prominent boosters of their athletic department. However, we get along because we are passionate about our respective schools and their sports teams. I still don’t like your garden variety texas fan, who can’t tell me who their starting offense is, goes to the game b/c it is a social event, and knows less about their team than I do.
WRT our fans: Being a fan means you are a fanatic about your team. How much of a fanatic are you if you can’t even sit through a whole game? We have always had idiots in the stands who think they can coach the team better than the people on the sidelines paid to do it; that will never change. (I don’t mind the thing with J-Train in short yardage, I was pissed we didn’t use Lane more in short yardage, but that is a separate issue.)
If you care about the team so much, why do you leave early? Why not stay until the end and cheer them on?
What do you think of The Corps?
I am a first generation Aggie so I really don’t have any deep history or family ties with The University, but I am curious as to what you think of The Corps of Cadets. For me, they kind of rub me the wrong way. I, think, it is a little outdated to still have the corps since a large portion of them don’t even actually do the military service after they graduate. They basically pretend to be soldiers and they are not. I understand the school was founded through the Corps and how it has had a huge influence on the school, but it seems to that it has served its time. Its more of a show thing than anything else. I wouldn’t have a problem with the Corps as much as I do know if it was mandatory to do service after you graduate. I know some guys that are doing the service after they graduate and I have a lot of respect for them. But most of the guys in the Corps that I know personally basically do it because you get nice boots, and it was easier to get in to the school.
by PrimeTime2012 on Nov 22, 2008 3:07 AM CST up reply actions
I think the history of the Corps is wonderful
but I don’t think they currently live up to what they once were, and what they seem to think they are now.
I don’t know if they still do it, but when I was at A&M, they told the Corps freshmen that they were the only ‘real’ Aggies, and that they were better than non-regs, simply because they were in the Corps. They did this because they felt they needed to make themselves look better to help recruiting and retention for the Corps, but that always rubbed me the wrong way. We’re Aggies, we’re family, and no one is inherently better than anyone else, regardless of their organizational affiliation.
I think the University sometimes markets the Corps at the expense of itself. I hate the Corps block seating at games, and wish they would stop it. I am pretty much against block seating at games for organizations, period. If you and thirty of your friends want to sit together at a football game, and you all go and pull tickets at the same time so you can make that happen, wonderful. However, I don’t think the Corps should have a reserved section for themselves. I think Corps fish should have to pull on Thursdays and end up sitting on third deck just like the non-reg fish.
As for members doing military service, I think roughly 1/3 of the Corps goes into the service. It isn’t through a lack of desire on some members’ part, though, because I knew members who wanted to serve and could not get contracts, for whatever reason. I think if they toned down the arrogance of their rhetoric, the Corps as an organization would be more acceptable to the student body at large.
As an organization as a whole, I like the Corps. I am well aware that there are plenty of idiots inside the Corps that possess the capacity to embarrass A&M and our student body, though.
Amen
I hate the Corps block seating, that has pissed off me so much this year. I hate having to sit in the fucking 3rd deck while those tools get first deck. It pisses me off, they shouldn’t be head and shoulders above the rest of the student body.
by PrimeTime2012 on Nov 22, 2008 5:33 AM CST up reply actions
you need to befriend a senior or a junior
and get them to pull tickets for you.
The best seats in Kyle are in the second deck of the student section, imo.
First deck really isn’t all that great; you’re really not high enough to see all of the action on the field.
Yep
2nd deck, 1st row on the 50 by far the best seats in the place. Had those seats a couple of times this season. Also got me on the jumbotron.
by the12thman11 on Nov 22, 2008 5:38 PM CST up reply actions
What I mean by “most of those traditions should stay there,” is to let the students bear the responsibility of carrying on those traditions. Not 35-year old men with kids and other things in their life that probably do, and should, take priority over a football game’s outcome.
Well, if I was 35 yrs old with a kid and family you'd have a point
but I’m not.
I’m not saying the former students should be the ‘tradition police’ or anything like that. I’m simply saying that you sholudn’t say you’re a “great fan” when you’re a marshmallow.
The students do bear the responsibility of carrying on the traditions at A&M, but one of those traditions is that the former students will complain about the current students not being as spirited as they were in their day. We even have a saying for it, “Ol’ Army is dead”.
Or, as some people have said, “Ol’ Army, dying at A&M since 1876”.
I think some of your traditions are really cool. Having been to midnight yell practice a few times, that’s the one that really seems to be a tradition people can understand and relate to. But like some of your fellow Ag’s have stated, a lot of the traditions do seem a little outdated and out of place to today’s student. Remember who is coming into the university these days – kids raised on diversity, breadth of experience beyond sports, interests totally unrelated to what goes on during a football game, etc. etc. Those things aren’t bad, but they are different from what you or I may have felt when we were in school.
I also don’t think to be a good fan you should have to sit through a garbage performance. I’m not cool with booing; I am totally cool with showing my displeasure and the lack of value for my ticket price by leaving early. Shoot, it’s not worth the time to just sit there and watch a crap performance if that’s how the individual views it.
I applaud your passion for Texas A&M sports. But not everyone shares that same commitment and shouldn’t be labeled as a bad fan/spectator for it.
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