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All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

TCU 360

All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

Students discuss religious topics in a small group. (Photo courtesy of tcuwesley.org)
Wednesday nights at TCU’s Methodist campus ministry provide religious exploration and fellowship
By Boots Giblin, Staff Writer
Published Mar 27, 2024
Students at the Wesley said they found community on Wednesday nights.

Fans should be supportive no matter what the outcome

It was a good run. Twelve victories in one season, a nationally-recognized team and a magnificent coach that ended the year and the decade with a bang. Sadly, the Horned Frog football team was bested by Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.

One measly touchdown made possible by a fake punt in the fourth quarter gave Boise the lead, and the game was done.

Like most TCU students, I hopped on the fan wagon as soon as we were whoopin’ teams east and west. I have never been much of a football fan, nor possessed ample supplies of team spirit, but even I was moved as our team clobbered every opponent it faced. But come time for the Fiesta Bowl and our subsequent loss, it seemed the fan wagon had fallen apart. A quick read at your friendly Facebook News Feed would have shown you just how horrid some folks could get when “their” team lost the big game.

Most of the angry rants have been laid at the feet of Andy Dalton for throwing the game-ending interception. Some blamed the once stellar defense for giving up so many points and yardage to the underestimated Broncos. Some blamed it on receiver Antoine Hicks’ fourth-quarter dropped pass on a sure-to-be touchdown that could have evened the score. And some typed out, in all caps, just how angry they truly felt.

Now, I’m nowhere near athletic enough to play college ball and survive a round, but when folks who can neither run, jump nor swim start insulting another’s athletic prowess, their ability to properly judge things comes into question.

TCU is notorious for the bandwagon effect. One game the stadium is empty; several victories later we’re at maximum capacity. And it is to be expected that plenty of people would get upset when we lost the Fiesta Bowl. But personal attacks and inflammatory comments are really uncalled for when judging how the team fared.

I don’t know anyone on the team, nor will I go out and meet them. But when lazy slobs start attacking a team that smashed several previously-held TCU records, even a slacker like myself feels the need to defend the dead horse.

We had a great season. We went undefeated in the regular season and watched as Gary Patterson earned his Coach of the Year award, and this is how we repay our team? By ranting and raving about how it should have happened? By offering such sage advice as “throw the ball”?

Get off of your high horse and either shut up or get on the field and do them one better. You can at least give the Frogs that much.

Bruno Bruelhart is senior history and writing major from Hobbs, N.M.

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