The sun is scorching, the humidity is so thick that breathing is next to impossible and running through a car wash without a car is starting to sound like a Nobel Prize-worthy idea. Kyle Field in late summer can feel like you've died and gone straight to hell, and Aggies still bear painful sunburns and guzzle gallons of water to sustain themselves during a three and a half hour football game. If Aggies are willing to melt like the Wicked Witch of the West in Texas heat, why are so-called "redass" Aggies surrendering to 68-degree weather and abandoning their team?
A native Texan's intolerance to cold weather is understandable. We are used to protecting ourselves from the heat for most of the year with sunscreen, a variety of portable air conditioning devices and enough water to fill a swimming pool. As Aggies, however, we shouldn't let a little cold weather or any other minute chore get in the way of supporting our team.
I have missed three games and left early once since my sister's sophomore year in 2001, and I think that's too many. Two of the incidents were because of an illness that bound me to a hospital and the other two resulted from letting procrastination cultivate during the week prior to a game. Missing a game or leaving early breaks my heart because I would never want someone to think of me as a two-percenter.
Someone who exhibits qualities of a two-percenter is a proclaimed Aggie who is despondently lax on complying with A&M's honored traditions - they leave games early, if they go at all, don't know the words to the fight song, school song or most of the yells and they're usually the ones moaning and groaning during the game about the weather or being tired.
Of course everyone has unforeseeable obstacles that conflict with Aggie duties - you could be legitimately sick, have a job that requires weekend hours or have some minion of Satan with unrealistic expectations for a prof. However, those whining, fair-weathered Aggies are the ones that make the rest of us look bad with their indifference. For those of you who don't like the games or don't care - don't go, and save the seat for someone who wants to be there and support the team.
On Saturday, I heard so many excuses for leaving early I thought I was in Austin at a t.u. game. Everyone around me was complaining about the score, the weather or wanting to get to Cheddar's or On the Border to beat the rush. Unfortunately, none of that is out of the ordinary, but I was embarrassed of my fellow Aggies when a tough-looking redneck who was probably 280 pounds left Saturday's game early because he was cold. "Hell yeah, I'm leaving! It's too cold for me. I need to get out of here and find some whiskey," said a student leaving the game during the fourth quarter.
I understand the misery and pain that comes from being cold. I am insanely cold-natured - I freeze and cover up with sweatshirts when it's 77 degrees outside. I don't even like football under normal circumstances, but usually nothing short of a close encounter with death could keep me from yelling like a crazy soccer mom if it's an Aggie game. Those of us who stayed on Saturday were cold and desperately blowing hot air into our hands, but we continued to support our team.
Leaving the game early is worse than not going at all - it makes Aggies look like we've given up on our team and that we only care about winning. Of course we want the best for our team and our school - we want to crush the opponent, but the attendance of the 12th Man is an integral part of the Aggie team. Our team shouldn't look up at Kyle Field and see people fleeing from the stands in the fourth quarter or have to remind us to cheer for them by raising their arms to increase audible support.
The two-percenter label shouldn't even exist at such a passionate, tradition-driven University. Aggies are known for being the best student section in the country, and Kyle Field used to be the most intimidating football arena for opposing teams. The 12th Man is accredited for helping win games and cause penalties for visitors, and who knows, if everyone had stayed and mustered enough support and excitement for the team, Saturday's game could have had a more pleasing outcome.
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