The Big 12 Conference is the most-watched reality series in college football. In this week’s episode of “Real Housewives- Big 12 Conference,” the gossip and accusations escalated to a new level, leaving viewers wondering why they keep wasting time watching adults fight like hormonal teenagers.
Presidents of the Southeastern Conference unanimously voted to invite Texas A&M to the party Tuesday, but the remaining schools — led by Baylor, minus Oklahoma— threatened to sue a day later.
After the Big 12 Conference waived its rights to sue the SEC for adding A&M, Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe sent a letter to the SEC saying the league would need statements from each member institution saying the same thing. Why would these schools go back on their word from last Friday?
It’s all about pride.
Ever since Baylor beat No. 16 A&M 35-34 in 2004, Bear fans believe there is a heated rivalry with A&M. Any maroon-blooded Aggie will tell you differently, avoiding any comparisons between the athletic programs.
Now Baylor leads the gaggle of bickering prima donnas wanting to make a stand with hand on hip, shaking a finger. Unfortunately for them, A&M does not have a binding contract with the Big 12. All the accusations from the “forgotten friends” may amount to nothing, but Baylor President Kenneth Starr will dig up any dirt, as he did when he led the investigation of former President Bill Clinton.
University President R. Bowen Loftin retaliated for A&M, saying the betrayal by Beebe and the other schools was inappropriate. A&M trusted the conference and its posse to stick to the previous agreement in which they signed off on a move to the SEC.
In a way, the rivalry between A&M and Baylor is the same as the one between A&M and Texas. One school always compares and considers itself on the same level as one of the premier institutions in the nation. Passionate debates among fans spark questions of which team holds more bargaining power, resulting in prideful displays and hurt feelings.
Both A&M and Baylor have strengthened their cases in these arguments of late with vast improvements on the football field. A&M won six-straight games to clinch a share of the 2010 Big 12 South title and beat SMU last Sunday in a convincing fashion. Baylor just beat a ranked team for the first time since 2004 Saturday in a 50-48 shootout over No. 14 TCU. Heads are ballooning on both sides and fans want national attention for their teams’ resurrections.
National media flocks to the A&M campus seemingly everyday, either with satellite trucks setting up in parking lots or with flurries of phone calls, and Baylor is feeling left out. Realizing the Big 12 ship is sinking and missing out on the last life raft, Baylor reached for the life jacket at the back of the boat¬ and threatened taking A&M to court. The other schools — minus Oklahoma— followed Baylor’s lead and formed an allegiance to put A&M back in its place.
Who’s to blame the Bears? They see the door closing on their opportunity to capitalize on their status as a budding athletic program as A&M packs its bags for the SEC. Didn’t A&M come across the same way when it questioned t.u.’s plan to air high school games on its newly formed Longhorn Network?
As the dust settles from a long day of emotional tension and talking behind people’s backs, viewers are left wondering if the yelling, screaming and fighting will be resolved soon or if it was just a cheap way to get attention.