On Friday, September 16, I was in attendance at the game where Baylor University went up against the Rice University football team— and won. This victory caused a lot of joy amongst the Baylor fans, however, the Rice halftime show, performed by their band, did not.
Rice’s marching band, called the MOB (Marching Owl Band), a student-led organization, made sure to take as many jabs at Baylor as they were able to in their half time performance. Not only did they form the shape of an “IX,” in attempt to ridicule the rape scandals that happened at Baylor, but they also formed a star, while playing the tune “Hit the Road, Jack.” This was referring to Ken Starr, our former president, who lost his job after all of the allegations took place.
Furthermore, the Rice student section was chanting “let’s get fired up,” while holding pictures of Art Briles to mock his getting fired. They held signs that read “Baylor don’t beat us,” and “Baylor We Did Not Consent,” and “Baylor, No Means No.”
Many Baylor students, parents and fans were very upset that this happened. They were deeply offended and have written articles, posted criticisms and have vocally complained about the events that took place. Now, yes it was a low blow. Yes, those jokes were classless, and yes they were, in fact, distasteful. BUT, honestly, school rivalries are nothing new. Talking smack to your opponent is nothing new. And frankly, to get all rattled up by the situation is nothing short of melodramatic and unnecessary.
To begin with:
Getting really offended and making it a huge deal is giving them what they want. Clearly, when the MOB put this performance together, they were seeking a reaction. And when overly-hurt Baylor fans decided to endlessly whine about it, a reaction is what they got. Literally, they are not remorseful, nor are they sorry— and complaining and crying about it won’t change that. So instead of satisfying their desire for our reaction, and feeding into their big ego, we should stop. Because this is what their goal was, and we are aiding them in their success. It’s just like when we were little, and a kid at school would call us “dumb, or “stupid.” Our mothers told us that if it’s not true, then there’s no need to worry about it. The same applies here. Just because someone says something, doesn’t mean it’s true. What Rice was implying definitely wasn't true. So the grown up thing to do would be to ignore them, dust it off of our shoulders, and move on with life.
Now, I could go on, but I’ll keep this short and sweet, just like it SHOULD HAVE BEEN in the first place. It’s over. What’s done is done. At the end of the day, they lost, and we won. They showed their true colors, and displayed their lack of class, while we held our heads high and took the victory. The situation is only as big as we make it, so let’s refuse to make it any bigger than we’ve already made it. All we can do is send prayers their way.
Now for goodness sake: Let's. Move. On.
The End.
