Jason's Untimely Thoughts

Here are a couple of items that might suprise you:

• I don’t really hate people just because they went to (or cheer for) ku.
• I do hate people yelling “M – I – Z” at me when I’m walking down the street.

On the ku thing, I like pretending to hate them.  Sometimes I actually do come close to hating individual players or teams of theirs.  It should be noted this was much easier when dadgum ole Roy was the coach.  I actually like Self, and until he won them a national championship*, I’m fairly confident I liked him better than most beaker fans did.

(*I also like pointing out that they claim 5 national championships, but only won 3.  Two were awarded years later by some random dude.   One of those some other random dude says Mizzou won.  So, give them credit for winning 3.  Yay them.  I further like pointing out that they went on probation for NCAA violations after each of those 3 they did win, so really, yay inconsequential NCAA violation policies.)

See, I don’t hate them.  I just hate the we’re so much better than you and have better morals too attitude that many of them go out of their way to crow about (free state nonsense, NCAA violations, MU fans were so mean to me/some random person I read about online, etc.).  Cheer for your team, I don’t care, just don’t claim to be morally superior and I’m fine.

Speaking of crows, there was a ku lady fan sitting near us at the Big 12 Tournament in KC.  We sat through three games on Thursday, she played Angry Birds on her iPad the entire time.  I’m not sure she was aware basketball games were being played.  The fourth game was Mizzou vs Texas Tech.  For this game, she played Angry Birds anytime Mizzou was ahead.  When Texas Tech scored to take the lead, her husband would nudge her, she’d put down Angry Birds, stand up and scream like crazy.  When Mizzou went back ahead, she went back to Angry Birds.  This story has no point, it was just entertaining (annoying) to watch.  (And in the interest of fairness, many Mizzou fans nearby were much more annoying than Angry Bird or any of the other nearby beaks.)

So, to sum, since none of that was overly clear.  I really don’t hate you if you went to ku or cheer for the mythical shoe-wearing birds.  Unless you act like an ass, in which case I probably do.  Similarly, though, if you’re constantly griping because Mizzou doesn’t have a fullback, or were mad because Brad Smith didn’t take enough snaps under center, I probably hate you too.

On M I Z, and then naturally also pertaining to Z O U, I love love love love the sound of that cheer in the fourth quarter of a football game, maybe with a little rain falling, cold enough that I can see my breath, when 70,000 are screaming the Tigers on to victory.  Transfer that to basketball environment, I’m equally in favor of it.  I’m not at all, however, in favor of it in small group settings.  I’m walking down the street, you’re on the other sidewalk, you yell “M I Z!”, I’m annoyed.  My historic reaction has just been to give you a little nod out of politeness, probably respond with a gentle “Go Tigers,” that’s it.  I’ve finally relented over the past few months, I now do respond “Z O U.”  I don’t really mean it, but I do it anyway.  No point in making sure random strangers think I’m an ass too, I figure.

Finally, my ranking of obnoxious fans, based solely on my travel to games.  The unquestionable leader, although tamed considerably after Mizzou started beating them handily, are CU football fans.  Outside of the stadium you could count on someone jumping in your face and yelling trash while you were walking through the parking lot.  Second, random ku female fans.  Most are great, but similarly it’s a safe bet that some college-aged female will start yelling hatred from across the street.  Third, a very close third, are Texans in trucks driving around Austin.  I really think the only reason I rank the Texans third is because I know none of them had likely ever even been to a game.

on a side note, screw ku.