Hook 'em Horns! :)

[inudesu]

I'm going to try to reply to this quickly and rationaly before this turns into a thread for the Flame Pit.

I cant understand this logic at all. I am a tech student and a big fan of tech athletics but I dont understand this idea of "competition" between Tech and LSU. Tech clearly has a lower caliber athletic program than LSU and there's is nothing wrong with that.

How do you think this will change? Only by competing. Of course we compete with them - WE PLAY THEM IN FOOTBALL NEXT YEAR! They're on our schedule! As Lum would quote right about here "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!"


We are in the WAC and LSU is in the SEC. Surely we can all admit those conferences arent comparable.

Of course they are. We can compare the money the SEC brings in to what the WAC makes. We can compare attendance. We can even compare on the field results. And while it's true that the SEC will come out on top in most of those comparisons, both conferences are competing on the same level for the same goals. We don't have to give that up just because they have a better chance to get there. We just have a harder road to travel.

Tech is regionally recognized and LSU is nationally recognized...just look at the recruits that tech gets compared to the ones that LSU gets in every sport. Also look at the number of pros that the two schools churn out every year. There is no comparison!

That's sort of the point. Why should Tech settle for this?

WAC schools are our real competition and I dont think we even have the same level of hatred for them that we do for LSU.

Maybe not. But we also don't have the same level of love for them that we do for LSU. You won't see many Fresno State or Hawaii caps in a Tech classroom. It's obviously a different situation. No one from Boise State has ever implied that I should "support" his school instead of (or along with) my own. I've never had to turn past page after page of quotes from third string QBs from San Jose to read about a 500 yard Tech passing day on page 6 of the Sports section.

I dont know about the rest of you but I was actually glad to see Fresno make the CWS run last year because it looked good for our conference and gave us a bit of legitimacy in a way.

Of course that was good for the WAC.

Why cant we feel supportive of LSU as Tech fans becasue we know that a national championship will bring attention to our state?

I'm a Tech fan. That doesn't help me at all.


I think the true issue is jealousy. Lets all be adults about this, drop the lame name calling (Chigger Lovers, LSBooo, etc) and respect the program that LSU has built.

I'll grant you some jealousy (although I think you can make the argument that some is well-deserved if you want to get into the history of the whole thing).

I don't love all the silly names either, but that's the world of message boards. Every one I've been to has silly nicknames for other schools. Some of them are funny and most don't make much sense.

As for respect, I think most BB&B posters can at least admit that LSU has a very sucessful athletic program. But why should we like that? Are you happy that USC and Miami and Texas have good athletic programs? Why not?

It probably helps that I'm not from Louisiana and I don't live there now. So I don't have to get beat down with all the LSU talk all the time. This means I don't have to care what they do. And I don't much care if a Tech student wants to have a second favorite school to cheer for. But all this talk about "know your role" and "good for the state" is what makes the hard-core Tech fans bristle.

[9701Dawg]

This arbitrary (and largely undue) favoritism has been well documented. Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with this debate on one of the many other threads.

Here is a good place to start:


http://www.latechbbb.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64149

[FriscoDog]

I cant understand this logic at all. I am a tech student and a big fan of tech athletics but I dont understand this idea of "competition" between Tech and LSU. Tech clearly has a lower caliber athletic program than LSU and there's is nothing wrong with that. We are in the WAC and LSU is in the SEC. Surely we can all admit those conferences arent comparable. Tech is regionally recognized and LSU is nationally recognized...just look at the recruits that tech gets compared to the ones that LSU gets in every sport. Also look at the number of pros that the two schools churn out every year. There is no comparison!

WAC schools are our real competition and I dont think we even have the same level of hatred for them that we do for LSU. I dont know about the rest of you but I was actually glad to see Fresno make the CWS run last year because it looked good for our conference and gave us a bit of legitimacy in a way. Why cant we feel supportive of LSU as Tech fans becasue we know that a national championship will bring attention to our state?

I think the true issue is jealousy. Lets all be adults about this, drop the lame name calling (Chigger Lovers, LSBooo, etc) and respect the program that LSU has built.

Not to bash you up or anything.. welcome to the board!!.. but my question for you is why? Why does Louisiana have to have only 1 team at this level? Why can't Tech get to this level? Do you consider Florida, Florida State, or University of Miami at the same level? What about Texas, Texas Tech, A&M etc.? Ole Miss, Miss State ?? I hope you get my point. Basically many on here are not content with the status quo and are not satisfied with "knowing our place" as far as it comes to LSU.

[The Great Benzino]

1. Why should be feel supportive of any program that is not our own?

2. The state of Louisiana propped up LSU for YEARS and then changed the rules to avoid doing this for other schools. Why is that praise worthy?

First i would like to say that i feel honored to have someone with 15000 posts answer my very first post...Thank you sir

There is no reason why all tech fans should necessarily support LSU but what I was saying was that there is nothing wrong with being supportive of them. You all make it sound like any tech student who is a fan of LSU is a trader or is not a REAL tech fan. My point is that the programs are on two different levels and that it is ok to like both. No reason for the jealousy.


I havent really taken the time to look into the exact amount of money that the state has put into LSU as opposed to Tech but surely you cant think that is the reason they are on a different level. Look at the private donations that are made to LSU athletics compared to Techs. Not even in the same ballpark. Instead of making excuses and blaming this on the government, which seems to be pretty common these days, maybe we could look at ourselves and ask why arent there more private contributors. Obviously people choose where they spend their money and more people see fit to spend it on LSU than Tech.

[Champ967]

why arent there more private contributors. Obviously people choose where they spend their money and more people see fit to spend it on LSU than Tech.

Because they have been brainwashed by the generations of exposure to the chigger's govt/media propaganda machine to believe that only lsu is Louisiana's only institution worthy of their loyalty. Sadly, many Tech grads have also been duped.

We hope to change that.

No reason for the jealousy

I, for one, am not jealous. In addition to ellessewe, I also hate organized crime, wasteful government spending, terrorism, walmart, polyvinyl chloride, paisley shirts, and a few other things. But it's not because I'm "jealous" of any of them.

[GatorDawg]

The last thing we need is another run for the bandwagon of the flagship. We compete with LSU. Any argument that doesn't agree with that is a bad argument. We compete with them for fans, money, and yes even recruits (though not as much directly as indirectly). Therefore as a Tech fan that wants the best for my school, I view any win by the flagship as a win that may have cost us one of the three.

And any argument that says LSU winning is good for the state I present you a major flaw in the bandwagon fans that are taking over the state. The other day I saw a truck with an LSU car flag and an American flag car flag. And the LSU flag was flying above the American flag. Tell me what that says about our state. Sure it could have happened to any fan of any school. But it didn't. It was an LSU fan. Same as the LSU fan I helped at work that was wearing an LSU shirt probably made in Hong Kong demanding that I sell him a wrench set made in America because he doesn't want to invest his money in something that far away instead of a good ole fashioned American company.

[CChandler]

oh man this thread just got derailed. I wonder if University of Houston fans talk about Texas like this.

[johnnylightnin]

First i would like to say that i feel honored to have someone with 15000 posts answer my very first post...Thank you sir

I havent really taken the time to look into the exact amount of money that the state has put into LSU as opposed to Tech but surely you cant think that is the reason they are on a different level.

Anytime. Welcome to the board. We're glad you're here. You chose your school very wisely and we're glad to have you.

For some good reading on what the state has/hasn't done to help/hurt LSU/Tech follow the link posted by 9701. Honest to goodness, when I first came to Tech, I was probably a lot like you. I remember being depressed my freshman year when Tennessee beat LSU. I grew up rooting for LSU. One of the reasons I'm no longer a fan is because I became familiar with the legislative favoritism that LSU has and still is experiencing. That thread will really help clarify why there is a conflict for many tech fans.

[Guisslapp]

I havent really taken the time to look into the exact amount of money that the state has put into LSU as opposed to Tech but surely you cant think that is the reason they are on a different level. Look at the private donations that are made to LSU athletics compared to Techs. Not even in the same ballpark. Instead of making excuses and blaming this on the government, which seems to be pretty common these days, maybe we could look at ourselves and ask why arent there more private contributors. Obviously people choose where they spend their money and more people see fit to spend it on LSU than Tech.

The State of Louisiana invested in LSU to make them a winner. BECAUSE of this investment, their athletic department has BECOME largely self-sufficient and takes in lots of donations.

[Champ967]

And we havent even touched on some of the character-defining features of their fanbase!

[inudesu]

There is no reason why all tech fans should necessarily support LSU but what I was saying was that there is nothing wrong with being supportive of them. You all make it sound like any tech student who is a fan of LSU is a trader or is not a REAL tech fan.

So far, so good. This is a debatable position. You'll get both sides (plus a couple more) around here. You can't just read one post or even one thread (especially in the baseball forum, which doesn't get that much traffic) and go with that. There are posters here to take the "second favorite school" position and others that feel that "it's everyone for himself and anyone who isn't with us is against us." You can find good measured arguments for both if you look around a little.

There's even a middle ground.

My point is that the programs are on two different levels and that it is ok to like both. No reason for the jealousy.

Here's where you're drifting off track. As I said, the "ok to like both" part is at least debatable, but I can give you that. But both schools compete at the D-1 FBS level in all sports. That means they play at the same level (by definition). One school may be having more sucess, but we're playing for the same championships. That's our ultimate goal just like it's their goal.


I havent really taken the time to look into the exact amount of money that the state has put into LSU as opposed to Tech but surely you cant think that is the reason they are on a different level.

Why not? You don't think money helps? You don't think money invested 75 years ago means a lot now?

Look at the private donations that are made to LSU athletics compared to Techs. Not even in the same ballpark. Instead of making excuses and blaming this on the government, which seems to be pretty common these days, maybe we could look at ourselves and ask why arent there more private contributors. Obviously people choose where they spend their money and more people see fit to spend it on LSU than Tech.

This is a silly argument. Naturally it isn't going to help anything to whine about corrupt politicians or policies from long ago, but that doesn't mean they didn't happen. There are tons of reasons that people give to LSU instead of Tech. I'd argue that at least part of the problem is this idea of the two schools somehow not being in competion with each other.

.

[ChuckK3]

I cant understand this logic at all. I am a tech student and a big fan of tech athletics but I dont understand this idea of "competition" between Tech and LSU. Tech clearly has a lower caliber athletic program than LSU and there's is nothing wrong with that. We are in the WAC and LSU is in the SEC. Surely we can all admit those conferences arent comparable. Tech is regionally recognized and LSU is nationally recognized...just look at the recruits that tech gets compared to the ones that LSU gets in every sport. Also look at the number of pros that the two schools churn out every year. There is no comparison!

WAC schools are our real competition and I dont think we even have the same level of hatred for them that we do for LSU. I dont know about the rest of you but I was actually glad to see Fresno make the CWS run last year because it looked good for our conference and gave us a bit of legitimacy in a way. Why cant we feel supportive of LSU as Tech fans becasue we know that a national championship will bring attention to our state?

I think the true issue is jealousy. Lets all be adults about this, drop the lame name calling (Chigger Lovers, LSBooo, etc) and respect the program that LSU has built.

Welcome to the BB&B, Benzino. Congrats on a great FIRST post. We're glad to have you and all Tech students join in on the discussion of Tech athletics. Please don't be a stranger! FOR THE REST OF Y'ALL long-time BB&Ber's, you're right...this has been beaten to death, but out of respect for our new poster, I'll explain my perspective one more time. Feel free to fast-forward if you dont want to read this anymore.

You are approaching the Tech vs LSU thing from a strictly sports perspective, which is fine, and you make strong points about the different "level" that LSU is on than we at Tech. Hopefully I can make equally strong points for my "issues" with Louisiana State University:

Point 1: Louisiana Tech and Louisiana State ARE competing for our state's brightest students, taxpayer funding, additional revenue streams, degree programs etc. as well as the hearts and wallets of the casual Louisiana sports fan. SO...when LSU does well, and you walk into your local Wal-Mart store and in the RARE instance you see Tech merchandise next to LSU merchandise...which one is going to sell to the casual Louisiana fan? The NATIONAL CHAMP LSU shirt? or the Tech shirt? The end result is that suddenly you stop seeing Tech merchandise in local stores because of a little thing called supply and demand.

Point 2: LSU's Athletic success solidifies a "one-state-school" mindset You probably heard a lot about breaking thru the glass ceiling during the last presidential election. This is sort of the same thing. You admitted that it was "okay" that Tech and LSU are on "different levels"...that's not a criticizm of you, but it is a mindset that WE will NEVER BE more than the "other" state schools. Why can't Louisiana be like Alabama, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Mississippi or other similarly-sized states and have at least TWO big time programs? Don't you think competition makes all parties better? I do. A lot of us diehard Dawgs would love for Tech to be in a BCS conference one day...with all the money, power and prestige that brings with it. We'll NEVER be there until OUR OWN PEOPLE decide we ALL want to be there. And yes, that means this one-state-school mindset has to die. We have to choose...do we support our OWN SCHOOL or do we buy their shirts, slap their stickers on our vehicles and buy their tickets...a school already blessed with a huge fan base and SEC/BCS money? Apathy will keep our program behind LSU's.

Point 3: LSU's success reflects VERY LITTLE on Louisiana. I disagree with your point that LSU's championships bring recognition to Louisiana. Believe it or not there are LSU "fans" that don't know what the initials stand-for. I'm dead serious. I asked a tiger fan, "Love you some La-State, huh?" and he goes, "naw, I'm a LSU fan, cain't yew read?" The big school down south chooses to not call themselves Louisiana State...only L-S-U...and I bet you'd be surprised on the national scene how FEW people actually know they're from Louisiana. LSU has won 2 football national championships (actually 1.5 championships) in the last decade, produced a number of NFL stars as you rightly point out, and have been very elite this decade. I've not seen ANY impact on Louisiana from it...BUT LSU has benefitted GREATLY. Their enrollment is WAY up, their donations are WAY UP, and you can buy purple and gold flip flops at Dollar General...MORE MONEY to LSU's already-fat coffers, not Louisiana's.

Point 4...the summary: I and many Tech alumni view other Louisiana schools from a business standpoint. In the same way that Target, K-Mart and CostCo don't throw up their hands to Wal-Mart and Sams and say, "oh well...they're on a different level than us, let's buy THEIR stock!" we feel this way about LSU, McNeese or Nicholls State. It is competition in its purest form. Survival of the FITTEST...only the strongest survive...all that. We love OUR university so much, that supporting the competiton is unconscionable.

I hope that helps you understand where we're coming from. Again welcome aboard!!

[T_Won]

I cant understand this logic at all. I am a tech student and a big fan of tech athletics but I dont understand this idea of "competition" between Tech and LSU. Tech clearly has a lower caliber athletic program than LSU and there's is nothing wrong with that. We are in the WAC and LSU is in the SEC. Surely we can all admit those conferences arent comparable. Tech is regionally recognized and LSU is nationally recognized...just look at the recruits that tech gets compared to the ones that LSU gets in every sport. Also look at the number of pros that the two schools churn out every year. There is no comparison!

WAC schools are our real competition and I dont think we even have the same level of hatred for them that we do for LSU. I dont know about the rest of you but I was actually glad to see Fresno make the CWS run last year because it looked good for our conference and gave us a bit of legitimacy in a way. Why cant we feel supportive of LSU as Tech fans becasue we know that a national championship will bring attention to our state?

I think the true issue is jealousy. Lets all be adults about this, drop the lame name calling (Chigger Lovers, LSBooo, etc) and respect the program that LSU has built.

I have never understood how someone who has no affiliation with a university can support that university in any way. It seems ridiculous to go a certain high school and yet support another high school's athletic teams. But there is a disconnect at the college level. Somehow, LSU has successfully been able to draw support not only from former athletes and alumni, but also from people who otherwise have no connection to the school at all. What is the fascination with LSU that draws you to it?

[The Great Benzino]

oh man this thread just got derailed. I wonder if University of Houston fans talk about Texas like this.

The purpose of this thread was LSU so i dont think it got derailed

[dhussdawg]

I honestly dont understand any strong attachment to a school that you never attended (except for the armed forces institutes because they represent something a lot deeper and more meaningful than sports). Could I see liking a certain school that you have no real attachment to? Sure. I just dont understand how someone that goes to Tech can be absolutely obsessed with LSU/root for them over Tech/follow them as closely as you follow Tech or more. It makes no sense. I am fairly indifferent towards LSU, though I would be lying if I didnt get a chuckle every time they lose thinking of all the sad faces in Tiger Nation, especially those that are being worn by Tech grads/students.