Final Four - Who do you want to win?

[shof]

What is wrong with this thread? It smells like corndogs!
I cheer for the LSU bball players because they are Louisiana boys, and positive attention for louisiana is a good thing. But I root against LSU and all it hypocritically stands for. They go out of their way to hold us back academically and athletically. They copy our ideas (Geaux Cajuns was around a long time before Geaux Tiggers was a thought). And then they have the audacity to ask what we are complaining about. LSU gets more than half the state money that goes to secondary schools in the state, the others all share less than half. With all of the money they already make on marketing, that just doesn't seem fair, or even in the best interest of higher education in the state of louisiana. We can't "copy" any academic programs that LSU may have, but they can steal our well respected computer science program (the first in LA and one of the first in the south) among others. But mostly I hate the smug faces of those LSU "fans" (most of whom never set foot on a college campus) that think they are so cool cause they are LSU fans. Guess who is doing more with what they have academically? We Are!

Whew! I hate when I get all worked up. Back to the point,
Geaux Louisiana! Go to h3ll LSU!

Guess I'm a "middle of the road guy" on this issue. Since I haven't lived in Louisiana for over 25 years I don't see the "ugliness" that can go on. Sure, I've read about the baseball and softball issues from a few years back. My former brother-in-law was a huge LSU supporter; but never "flaunted it" in the "we are better than you" manner we so often see. I've been in San Antonio for the past 12 years now, and while you see the UT/aTm banter; its much more in a good natured manner. Anyway, the wife and I were at some friends house when the LSU/aTm BB game was on. Friend is an aTm grad so he said to me, "guess you're pulling for LSU" to which I replied, "not really". I said I am not an LSU fan; but I'd like them to win for the players, they're mostly LA kids. I felt the same way watching LSU beat Miami in their most recent bowl game. Happy for the players (besides, Miami has a bunch of hoodlems anyway, right ). So, while I don't root for them, I don't root against them either. If they win, good. If not, oh well.

What gets me is that in pretty much any other place I've lived you don't see any one institution consciously trying to hold others down. In Texas we have UT, aTm, TxTech.....all publically funded institutions participating in the same conference. In fact, one of my kids is at Tech, and the other in the UT system. Is UT the "big dog"? Probably; but you don't see them trying to suppres the others? And while we are on the name thing; did you see UT or the others for that matter, putting up a big stink when SW Texas State wanted to change their name to Texas State? Not really, and they're only 20-30 miles down the road from UT! You probably won't see them putting up any resistance should Tx State try to move football up to D-1A either. Most likely you'd hear "good for them." In essense, they are not "threatened" by the smaller schools trying to make themselves better. So, why does LA have to be the way it is? Because too many people are concerned about "protecting their turf" so to speak. If it is good for U(S)L/ULL, then it can't be good for us. That type mentality is keeping this state down. That is exactly the mentality that forced "UL" to change its name back to USL in the 80's. And unfortunetly, I don't see that changing any time soon.

[RaginFan2]

... Because too many people are concerned about "protecting their turf" so to speak. If it is good for U(S)L/ULL, then it can't be good for us. That type mentality is keeping this state down. That is exactly the mentality that forced "UL" to change its name back to USL in the 80's. And unfortunetly, I don't see that changing any time soon.

You are so right, unfortunately. I have lived in other states around the country and I've never seen the type of mentality that surrounds LSU. I feel it comes from a deep-rooted sense of failure on a state-wide basis. In my theory, so many identify so strongly with LSU because it has seemed (in their perception perhaps) that that is the only CONSISTENT success Louisiana has had on a national basis. So they cling tightly to it and fear anything that might appear as even a remote possibility of upsetting the apple cart. Even (especially!) those with no direct ties to LSU react harshly to anyone else who looks to be improving their university for fear that this is a zero sum game, and anything that improves UL, for example, is chipping away a brick in LSU's facade. Just my theory.

[CDeb]

Guess I'm a "middle of the road guy" on this issue.

Your views seem to mirror my own.

I used to have an active hate for LSU, but I think it's kind of childish now. Now I think of them like I think of Washington, Illinois or New Mexico: just another big state school that I didn't go to.

I'm genuinely happy for the Louisiana kids when they win big, but I don't really root for them.

And sometimes it is nice for the idiotic amongst the tiger fans to be left spitting wooden nickels.

[Hammer58]

You are so right, unfortunately. I have lived in other states around the country and I've never seen the type of mentality that surrounds LSU. I feel it comes from a deep-rooted sense of failure on a state-wide basis. In my theory, so many identify so strongly with LSU because it has seemed (in their perception perhaps) that that is the only CONSISTENT success Louisiana has had on a national basis. So they cling tightly to it and fear anything that might appear as even a remote possibility of upsetting the apple cart. Even (especially!) those with no direct ties to LSU react harshly to anyone else who looks to be improving their university for fear that this is a zero sum game, and anything that improves UL, for example, is chipping away a brick in LSU's facade. Just my theory.

My theory is that the LSUA&M mentality of trying to hold others down is due to the influence of Huey Long. Long showered State with money and resources to spite Tulane for rejecting him. State's success was created because of the chip on his shoulder and it ingrained a sense of paranoia that anything that was good for someone else must be bad for him.

[DomeBoundCajuns]

It is a shame people in this room, dislike LSU so much they cant bare to think of them winning a national championship! Oh yea, I do believe they are a state school! Only if the cajuns were playing LSU in the final Four.

[DomeBoundCajuns]

Maybe One day UL and LSU will be competive with one another like Texas and Texas A&M. But face it we are not even close! I am a cajun fan just like the rest of you, but the more you hate LSU, the better they get! They are a top 5 national powerhouse in all sports, What are we? If Northwestern State was in the final four would you be rooting for them or against? LSU is having a great basketball season, and I like them enough, I hope they pull this ____ off!

GEAUX CAJUNS!

[bigguill]

If NSU made it to the Final Four, I would be rooting for them. I love the underdog. I wonder though, if NSU played LSU in the Final Four, who would people cheer for? LSU more than likely. I remember when McNeese played LSU in basketball last season and the sports headline in the L.C. paper said in big bold letters, "Tigers Dismantles Cowboys", or something to that effect. It was like people can't root against LSU even when there own school is playing them. I contrast that headline with one that said something like "Cowboys lose to ULL" in regular font. I don't know. I'm a business major and I think of everything from a business point of view. I just don't see the point in not supporting your local college and keeping the money in the city that you live in? Not just UL, but any school.

Maybe One day UL and LSU will be competive with one another like Texas and Texas A&M. But face it we are not even close! I am a cajun fan just like the rest of you, but the more you hate LSU, the better they get! They are a top 5 national powerhouse in all sports, What are we? If Northwestern State was in the final four would you be rooting for them or against? LSU is having a great basketball season, and I like them enough, I hope they pull this ____ off!

GEAUX CAJUNS!

[Hammer58]

It is a shame people in this room, dislike LSU so much they cant bare to think of them winning a national championship! Oh yea, I do believe they are a state school! Only if the cajuns were playing LSU in the final Four.

How about the flip side of that coin? Do you admonish your State friends and their cronies when they start dogging UL?

[CajunCherokee]

Maybe One day UL and LSU will be competive with one another like Texas and Texas A&M. But face it we are not even close! I am a cajun fan just like the rest of you, but the more you hate LSU, the better they get! They are a top 5 national powerhouse in all sports, What are we?

This is where we are:

https://forumeus.com/sh...ad.php?t=8125

Know what you are talking about before you condemn something...

[AstroCajun]

There is not a competition between LSU and ULL, because the two schools are in totally different situations.

Which is why we probably can relate more to George Mason and their situation better than we can relate to lsu. Which, in turn, explains why we'd rather root for them.

Sorry.

Its the same reason why I'm glad you beat Duke. Because, basketball speaking, lsu and duke "are in totally different situations."