Could not care less

It is normal to wish for something when that which you sought is whisked away but... for those who say they would trade away this and that championship for one in football or baseball, don;t forget this:
Those championships were earned by those respective teams. Track and Field (the one true sport in my opinion) was out there every day, puking their guts up after repeat quarters and halves. Women's basketball, same thing. They earned their championship rings on their own. If you want one in a "major" sport, get the players and coaches that can 'give' you one. They ain't here yet. As those of us know who have one, you can't just wish it onto your finger.

No it's certainly not one of the big 3, but my house went apesheet when Coach Blair and the girls ran down that clock. Having been thru 30+ years of heartbreak after heartbreak, I'll take any title we can get and proudly proclaim it as OURS. Is anybody gonna run out and print truckloads of t-shirts for track and field? Why hell no. But if you're gonna sit here and denigrate their accomplishments just because they're not gonna be on SportsCenter, then you pretty much suck as an Aggie. A Big 3 would be sweet, but honestly I've pretty much given up on that happening in my lifetime. If it does eventually happen, well then hot diggety damn! Today was a gut punch for sure, but as long as most of us have been through this it shouldn't be anything new, or any more painful than the last one. We'll get back at 'em next year. I'm proud of what this team accomplished this year, especially managing to get all the way to the CWS without Stilson. Hats off.

All four of the big Texas schools have won a national championship in Women's Basketball and for every one of them it was huge.

Any national championship is something to be proud of whether its a revenue sport or not.

I agree completely regarding each teams accomplishments. They all worked VERY hard to win them and every Aggie should be proud of each one. No argument at all about that.

My comment was about perception and public opinion. Any team that wins a NC has done everything they can in that arena and will have that to boast about the rest of their lives. I brag about each one with all my friendly rivals at work to be sure. The reality though is that every arena is not equal in stature and that is just the facts. Whether that is right or wrong can be debated, but the underlying average Joe's opinion on each can not be.

Well said FWHORN!! There were approx 10,000 studends when I graduated from TAMU in 1957, all male and the corps was mandatory. Enter women in the 70's and TAMU blossoms from 25,000 to the current enrollment of 50,000, with women now outnumbering the men.

MY DRIFT IS: WE CANNOT TREAT WOMEN AS "SECOND CLASS STUDENTS". THEY PAY THEIR DUES (TUITION) JUST LIKE US MEN DO.They were very instrumental in making TAMU the world class university it is today, right up there on par with UT.

Their athletic achievements are equally as important as any of the men's sports, yes even KING FOOTBALL. A National Championship is the "top of the mountain" whether it be in FB, BB, Soccer, SB, track & field or tiddly winks. I will never forget going to OKC when our Softball team played for the NC and will forever remember what our Aggie basketball team did in Indianapolis this year.

While I'd love a national championship in football and men's basketball, I'll take ANY NC that has the words "Texas A&M University" on the trophy.

Comparing total average attendance, yes WBKB probably is higher than baseball, but the coaches care about student attendance and in that, I believe Baseball kicks WBKB pretty good.

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Any national championship is something to be proud of whether its a revenue sport or not.

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+1


For me, football is the only major sport.
I just can't see 85,000 Aggies showing up for a regular season basketball (men's or women's) or baseball game. Nor do I think thousands of people will donate thousands of dollars each, just for the right to buy expensive season tickets.
There is so much more money, fan support and media exposure in football that it's head and shoulders above everything else.
To me, it's seems like you're not in touch with reality when you lump it in with wbb and college baseball. Those 2 sports are nowhere near football in terms of fan support, money and media exposure. Football is probably 10 times more than those 2 categories in fan support, money and media exposure.

It's like saying Bill Gates and I are both rich because we are in the Top 1%. When the truth is I'm nowhere near his level. I'm closer to the poorest person on the planet than I am Bill Gates. Well football seems similarly alone on the list of truly major sports in college.

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Baseball is a regional sport mixing in on the same level as lacrosse, hockey, and maybe men's soccer.

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Absolutely false. Nearly every school in the country has a baseball team. Only a handful have teams in lacrosse, hockey, and men's soccer. While the South clearly dominates in baseball, it is played and fielded nationwide.

Baseball is a major college sport. Don't be naive or ignorant.

I've always thought the "I would trade ____ for ______" was a sad, backwards way to look at it. Just say "I want a baseball championship." What good comes from adding "...because I don't care about _______"? Some folks just need something to ***** about?

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All four of the big Texas schools have won a national championship in Women's Basketball and for every one of them it was huge.

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Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Baylor, Oklahoma, and New Mexico all outdraw but the top 9 attended baseball programs by 1,000 or more spectators a game.

[This message has been edited by TXAggie2011 (edited 6/22/2011 7:19p).]

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Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Baylor, Oklahoma, and New Mexico all outdraw but the top 9 attended baseball programs by 1,000 or more spectators a game.

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And the Cowboys draw more per game than the Rangers, yet the Rangers draw more per season...how, oh how, can this possibly be???

In the SEC, baseball is definitely #3. Hell, at some schools it draws more fans on average than basketball.

Just visit Tigerdroppings and see how many baseball threads there are. There is a game thread for just about every SEC matchup.

I bet you won't find a single game thread about women's basketball.

I would say that most Aggies would be more excited over winning the CWS than a wbb championship. when talking scoreboard with rivals, I doubt wbb head-to-head match-ups enters the conversation. Baseball will be discussed, however. Espcially when it comes to A&M and tu.

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And the Cowboys draw more per game than the Rangers, yet the Rangers draw more per season...how, oh how, can this possibly be???

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Baylor: 166,593 total for women's b-ball, 89,804 for baseball.

New Mexico: 115,152 total for women's b-ball, 46,299 for baseball.

Oklahoma: 93,332 total for women's b-ball, 35,729 for baseball.

Texas Tech: 119,731 total for women's b-ball, 71,609 for baseball.


The average Big 12 women's basketball program drew 83781 total fans. Only 23 baseball programs in the country drew more than that (UT-Austin, A&M, and Baylor the only 3 Big 12 clubs), and it's 10,000 more than Georgia baseball drew as the 24th highest total baseball attendance (the drop after 23rd ranked Rice is 14000.)

UCF baseball drew 35,575 total fans, which was 45th in the country. Mountain West women's basketball had the 9th highest average total attendance per team among the conferences, and averaged over 36,500 total fans. 50 some-odd women's basketball teams drew more than UCF did.

[This message has been edited by TXAggie2011 (edited 6/22/2011 11:15p).]

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In the SEC, baseball is definitely #3. Hell, at some schools it draws more fans on average than basketball.

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I can definately agree with this. The SEC is a great baseball conference and is generally a crappy basketball conference, men's or women's (definately a better women's b-ball conference).

Maybe a little too much domination by Kentucky and Tennessee?

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MY DRIFT IS: WE CANNOT TREAT WOMEN AS "SECOND CLASS STUDENTS". THEY PAY THEIR DUES (TUITION) JUST LIKE US MEN DO.They were very instrumental in making TAMU the world class university it is today, right up there on par with UT.

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This is such a assinine statement and I am not even sure which part of it sounds the most rediculous. I guess I will settle for one question.... How is any of this related to anything anyone said? "Second class citizens"? Never heard anyone even suggest anything slightly to this point and I suppose your next post will be an arguement for the admission of women into A&M. Get the heck out of here with that crap.....

Groosome, I have found one aggie that I completely agree with on an issue. Every post you have made on this thread mirrors the opinions which I hold.

Also, are women second class citizens? No, but that does not mean the public cares about who wins the women's national championship. The only sports which really matter to the "public" are Football >> Men's Basketball >>>> Men's Baseball. (Men's baseball has a lot to do with it being associated with Omaha)

This is not to take anything away from any of the students at Texas (or a&m) who have won numerous national championships for Texas. Do I love the fact that Texas claimed several swimming and diving national championship? Yes. Did I watch Texas' women play in the volleyball national championship, Yes. But to most of the public it doesn't matter.

White Rock Horn -

Now your making me have to go back and review my opinions!!! Agreeing with a sip?!?!?!?

Its not that women are second class citizens. Its just that their sports aren't appealing like men's sports generally are.

I'm a fan in the SEC, and there's no doubt that baseball is bigger than women's basketball.

As far as total attendance, I would guess ALL of the SEC West schools have more butts in the seats for baseball overall than even Men's basketball (granted, several more home games than in Men's basketball).

Tennessee being the exception, most schools don't care much for women's basketball. Actually, I'd wager that at several SEC schools, women's gymnastics draws more per meet than women's basketball does per game. That is a sport that the SEC also dominates in care and performance.



[This message has been edited by wmr (edited 6/23/2011 11:25a).]

[This message has been edited by wmr (edited 6/23/2011 11:33a).]

SEC Men's Baseball Attendance:

http://www.collegebaseballdaily.com/2011/06/14/2011-division-1-college-baseball-attendance-report/

Sorry for turning this into an SEC thread, but I believe there is a lot of potential in NCAA baseball for growth. The SEC attendance has exploded over just the past 5 years. Now there is a facilities arms race going on in baseball conference-wide.

Baseball has much more potential than hockey or any other regional sport. Maybe there needs to be tweaks made to the starting date to get more northern schools interested. Even in Fayetteville its still pretty danged cold until early April.

Finally, with Blue Bell Park, A&M's sports affinity will be even more in line with the SEC West.

I'm not sure how the SEC's baseball obsession got going full steam. Mississippi State led the charge back 25 years ago when they had huge crowds. LSU has a great tradition and 6 NCs since the early 90s. Carolina has always been pretty good at baseball, and their title last year combined with a big new park a few years ago cemented them as an SEC baseball power.

Arkansas has a rich tradition and rabid fanbase, to go along with an outstanding park and great gameday atmosphere. Ole Miss just renovated and expanded their stadium and have a great gameday atmosphere as well.

Hopefully more schools around the country will catch on to how much fun college baseball is to watch. The SEC's baseball obsession has gotten the sport more attention, via TV contracts which have given NCAA baseball more national exposure and legitimacy.

I see nothing but growth for college baseball.

[This message has been edited by wmr (edited 6/23/2011 11:41a).]

I don't know if attendance is a good metric. The Frank Erwin center holds close to 16,600 for a basketball games whereas the Disch has capacity of just under 6,700.

BTW, the WBB NC got run on Sports Center this morning right along side the Mavericks.

I enjoyed going to baseball games more than football games, but there is no debate over this. From a completely unbiased national perspective, women's basketball gets far more run than baseball.

When was the last time you saw SC highlights of a regular season college baseball game? ESPN, ESPN2 and Fox carry national WBB games every week. The SEC finally got a national deal with ESPNNews for a Thursday night game and we saw a handful of Big 12 games on Fox.

To each his own Groosome. I go to men's games, but prefer women's because they win more consistently. And thank you for acknowledging that our women work just as hard as our men and deserve any NC they win.

But don't feel sorry for the women. Along with me, they have their own fans who regularly fill their seats and go deep in the NCAA's. And it will get better this fall and next spring with Football (do you believe me?), Women's Basket Ball, Women's Soccer, Softball and, yes, even Baseball, leading the way.

Any maybe the best coach on campus (along with Gary Blair), Pat Henry, will win his fourth consecutive M & W Track and Field Championship. AD $Bill Byrne certainly deserves all of our thanks for his "Building Champions" program which brings TAMU to the elite level. All it takes to win is the good coaches he has hired meshed in with great coaches when he came. These coaches go out and recruit the best athletes = NC's and consistent winners, which this thread is about.

When Texas won its NC in volleyball a couple of decades ago now, it was a huge on the Texas campus (might be showing my age here). I became a volleyball fan following that team as a student and have been one ever since. Volleyball has always been my third favorite sport after football and baseball so to me winning an NC there would actually be more important than mens or womens basketball. I think we undervalue sports like that when we try to rank what is more important. To the die hard volleyball fans or tennis fans or baseball fans etc. it will always be an argument that is more about emotion than anything else.

Look I was in Pasadena to watch my beloved Horns win a football NC back in 2006, was that the greatest sports moment possible for a Texas fan, sure. But does that devalue the NC's in tennis, swimming, track, volleyball etc. of course not it just makes you appreciate them for what they are the achievement of the pinnacle of their sport.

FWHORN got it right.

Any national championship is something to be proud of whether its a revenue sport or not.

Some of you guys make me giggle. You think there is something wrong with wanting a title in football more than ten minor sports titles? I thought football was a bigger deal in Texas. It's called priorities, fellas. I'm glad to see that some of you seem to have it together.

I'm also amused by the women's sports debate. No one really cares about 'ships in those. Yeah, they are cool to have in the record books and fun to watch if your team is in the mix. Shoot, I had a blast watching our women knock off Stanford in the tennis championship. But I'm not gonna buy a t-shirt celebrating it. If we are fortunate enough to beat SC next week in the CWS final, I'll be buying that shirt though. You are kidding yourself if you think WBB is more important than Baseball.

Congrats on making the CWS. Better luck next year. Don't feel too bad, we went 0-2 last year, so I know your pain. Hopefully you guys can make a return trip next year. I have no love for the Longhorns.

The good news is we don't have to trade anything. Our success in other sports is signs of a strong athletic department. I can't say I've made it to a track meet, but I'm very proud of our athletes in that sport. The more our name gets out there, regardless of sport, the better it is for the teams, department, and school. That would be magnified with a championship in the "Big 3".

It's also good that we've seen progress in the "Big 3" from where we were not that long ago. Consistently being talked about on ESPN, and consistency in being in the postseason increases our brand recognition. Even without championships, we know about Boise State football and Gonzaga basketball. So on the way to a championship, it's not like our other success would be wasted.

This is coming from a person who really wants to be proud of Aggies. I pointed out an article on the wall of the Rudy's in Austin to my wife....it was about how an Aggie had found a reason why the fat in brisket was good for you. I knew we had our priorities in the right place.

The ultimate goal is the trophies, but there have been plenty of good athletes and legends along the way. Acie Law/Brodie Greene/Von Miller etc...they didn't win us a NC, but I'm glad they were Aggies and that their efforts were taking us in the right direction.

[This message has been edited by Lance Uppercut (edited 6/25/2011 1:06p).]

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You are kidding yourself if you think WBB is more important than Baseball.

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I bet the ratings for the WBB title game are greater than any game of the CWS.

I would much rather watch baseball than WBB. But college WBB is bigger on a national basis than college baseball.



[This message has been edited by viva torrente (edited 6/25/2011 1:27p).]

seriously, who at the water cooler even mentioned the Lady Ags winning the national title the next day...and again I say "seriously"? My work buddies would haze me so bad if I took credit for a women's hoops national championship, and I know i am not alone.

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You think there is something wrong with wanting a title in football more than ten minor sports titles? I thought football was a bigger deal in Texas. It's called priorities, fellas. I'm glad to see that some of you seem to have it together.

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We are saying there is something wrong with thinking it's about "trading" or "prioritizing."

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You are kidding yourself if you think WBB is more important than Baseball.

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On a national level, women's college basketball gets a nearly infinite amount of publicity relative to college baseball, WBB draws fans at a disprortinately higher level, and perhaps most telling, WBB is a full scholarship sport and its coaches in general get paid more money than their baseball counterparts.

Again, though, it's a silly discussion. There is nothing that necessitates each various collegiate sport need to be given a relative rank and value, especially on our (fans) side of an athletic program.

Enjoy what enjoy, celebrate what you want to celebrate, and leave it at that.

[This message has been edited by TXAggie2011 (edited 6/25/2011 9:39p).]

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Baseball is a regional sport mixing in on the same level as lacrosse, hockey, and maybe men's soccer.

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wow, what absolute stupidity.

any National Championship is great. to win 3 in a row men and women's in track and field is unprecedented. i come from a small class A school, all we had was football, basketball and track. i love track almost as much as football and there are many who feel the same way. i'd pay more to watch a track meet than a baseball game, that said i love our Ags baseball team too, and consider any National Championship as an outstanding achievement. $Bill has done a wonderful job giving us coaches that give us the best opportunity on and off the field.