Sports Writer
Baylor football is in its golden age. Right now, fans are watching the best football program in school history. For any fan, it’s hard not to watch the Bears in every game they play.
If the game is not at home, I spend my time in front of the TV watching the Bears when they play at another stadium.
However, when something goes wrong for Baylor, whether it’s an incomplete pass or a 3-and-out situation, Facebook and Twitter become my least favorite things.
Many fans go on rants about how awful a pass was or criticize different players’ decisions. Some tweets or posts are fair and truthful, but others are just ridiculous.
After two away games, it’s evident that Baylor fans are a little spoiled. A few years ago, Baylor was the underdog in the Big 12. Now, it’s as if the team has made a complete turn around. Baylor is currently one of the top teams in the country, which may be shocking to fans that have been following the team since before the RG3 era.
Fans need to keep this in mind, and it’s time to break away from this spoiled attitude and learn to stand behind the team, both in good and bad times.
After winning a Big 12 championship last season, who wouldn’t feel entitled to another one? After a record-breaking season, the expectations of Baylor football players and coaches as well as fans have been raised.
However, it’s important to remember that the team has to win the title. It’s not just going to be handed to the Bears, so Baylor will need to go through and overcome adversity and deserve the Big 12 title once again.
As fans, it’s OK to expect Baylor to win every game. However, it’s not realistic to expect the Bears to win every game by 40 points. Each team Baylor plays has different strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to keep in mind that it won’t always be easy to score points on a top-10 team as it was to score on a scrappy non-conference team.
The Big 12 has a lot to offer this year, and Baylor will need to go out and earn the Big 12 championship ,just like everyone else.
Also, it’s important to remember that student-athletes make mistakes. They are not professionals and therefore aren’t paid. Baylor will not have a perfect game, and it’s our job as fans to acknowledge the mistakes the team makes.
However, instead of getting upset about it, fans need to brush it off and move on to the next play, just like the football team needs to do.
If both Baylor Nation and the football team do this, the level of optimism around the team is going to be undeniable. Optimism leads to greater results, and by bringing a positive attitude to each game and even each play; Baylor will build off of the crowd’s energy and perform better.
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard that staying positive will make things better, but you know what? It’s the truth.
One final thing to take into consideration is that fans don’t have any control over the outcome of the game. It’s determined by a number of factors, but fan input is not one of them.
While fans do have the freedom to post whatever they want, does it really help anyone that you post a negative tweet or status about our team?
It’s important the Baylor Nation steps up and stands behind our team, and with optimism and great energy, it will be impossible for anyone else to say that their school has the best fan base in the country.
So, let us put our 2013 championship title in the trophy case and watch the Bears win another one to put right next to it. Winning a Big 12 title a second time would be fulfilling, don’t you think?
