In the event you plank directly to TexAgs.com, the customery Texas A&M fandom hub, and peruse the message forums, it gained’t speed lengthy to discover a point out of the Aggies’ most-hated rival: Texas.
On TexAgs’ top rate board, the place tens of 1000’s of paying subscribers congregate to talk about Aggies soccer, the longest message board story with essentially the most replies is entitled “Horn Meltdown Thread.” It’s 326 pages and as of Wednesday had greater than 11,000 posts for the reason that story started in February. There’s been a Horn Meltdown Anecdote each 12 months since 2014.
Sort Orangebloods.com — a supremacy vacation spot for Longhorns lovers since 2001 — into your internet browser and mosey over to its subscription board. There’s a story devoted to discussing Texas A&M soccer information, the place Longhorns have a good time on every occasion the Aggies stumble. The stream one began in October 2022, is 871 pages and has greater than 30,000 posts.
In relation to Texas and Texas A&M, their 13 years aside at the soccer farmland most effective fueled the hatred of their 118-year-old competition. Why? For the reason that competition lived on-line, via message forums and social media.
Now, with the Longhorns and Aggies eager to satisfy Saturday night time for the primary year since 2011 — and with an SEC Championship Sport berth at stake — the chance and depth are at a fever tone on Orangebloods, TexAgs and lovers’ social media platforms of selection.
“The rivalry was just too big to go away,” mentioned Robert Behrens, a Texas A&M graduate, managing scribbler of A&M fan site Excellent Bull Searching and prolific poster of Aggies statistics. “People had to push their anger somewhere.”
Let’s get started with one of the most greatest causes the competition simmered through the years in sure corners of the web: proximity.
Texas and Texas A&M’s campuses are more or less 100 miles aside. They’re the 2 greatest universities within the surrounding with the 2 greatest alumni bases. Their graduates proportion place of business territory, myth soccer leagues or even dinner tables. The sport would possibly no longer have existed nearest Texas A&M left the Obese 12 to attach the SEC in 2012, however the trash speaking by no means truly restrained, on-line or off, within the decade-plus sooner than Texas joined the Aggies within the SEC.
“You can’t expect there not to be Aggies and Longhorns in each other’s lives, every day, at Thanksgiving, in the families, in the workplace, friendships,” mentioned Billy Liucci, the manager scribbler of TexAgs.com. “The game can go away, but there’s still Longhorns and Aggies who grew up liking each other or loving each other.”
However, Liucci mentioned, “You’ve had two fan bases that, for 13 years, have been praying for the other one’s downfall.”
In 2019, Anwar Richardson, who covers Texas for Orangebloods, wrote a column advocating for the Aggies and Longhorns to renew their competition recreation. The reception from lots of those that commented at the tale was once frosty.
“Like little kids, they picked up their ball and ran home. Screw them,” one poster mentioned.
Stated any other: “No No No. Never Never Never. Drop it already, Texas should never play them again in any sport. They left, and talked s— on the way out.”
“There were 14 pages of commentary telling him, ‘You’re an idiot, stay in your lane, you don’t know what you’re talking about,’” mentioned Geoff Ketchum, the writer and proprietor of Orangebloods.
Recruiting has additionally stored issues highly spiced between the Aggies and Longhorns. Despite the fact that they haven’t competed at the farmland, the universities have long past head-to-head for dozens of recruits. The surrounding of Texas is without doubt one of the maximum productive recruiting fields within the nation, and Texas and Texas A&M generally pursue the surrounding’s supremacy potentialities.
Message forums are top actual property for rumors, particularly in recruiting, the place concrete knowledge at the intentions of highschool soccer stars will also be elusive. Orangebloods and TexAgs are farmland 0 for maintaining with the comings and goings of Texas and Texas A&M recruiting, particularly when the universities sq. off at the path. And no longer simply via message board rumors; each websites are totally staffed with journalists who secure the soccer groups and recruiting, dispersing actual knowledge to subscribers.
“That’s definitely kept the conversation going,” mentioned Brandon Jones, president and CEO of TexAgs. “That’s where these small victories would take place: Who’s winning what recruits?”
The depth of high-profile recruiting battles even as soon as resulted in a people spat between Liucci and Ketchum. In January 2015, nearest longtime Texas A&M devote Kyler Murray visited Texas, the two got into a disagreement on what was once upcoming referred to as Twitter.
It began with Ketchum inviting Liucci onto his radio display (Liucci declined), upcoming a debate at the possibilities that Murray would turn his loyalty to Texas (he didn’t). Later it were given non-public, whole with name-calling, questions of professionalism and thinly veiled blackmails.
Liucci and Ketchum mentioned they patched issues up nearest that and get alongside high quality. But it surely underscored how intense the competition may just get on-line.
For the ones die-hards who aren’t paying a per thirty days price to publish or learn content material on Orangebloods ($9.99 a pace) or TexAgs ($16.99), X has additionally been ripe for back-and-forth.
Kyle Umlang, a knowledge analyst and podcast host, received recognition in Texas social media circles for his #AggieFactThursday posts, which might be random information and statistics about Texas A&M’s futility or Texas’ superiority.
It’s been 30 years since Texas A&M had back-to-back 10-win seasons. #AggieFactThursday
— Kyle Umlang (@kyleumlang) November 21, 2024
10 Win Seasons | Since 2000
19 Oklahoma
11 Texas
1 Texas A&M#AggieFactThursday— Kyle Umlang (@kyleumlang) October 10, 2024
Umlang authored more than one books on this vein. The primary was once titled “101 Aggie Facts: Things Every Longhorn Should Know.” 3 volumes had been revealed. In August, Umlang introduced his actual store, “The 2024 Aggie Fact Almanac,” which boasts greater than 400 of Umlang’s Aggies information.
Behrens, who started writing for Excellent Bull Searching in 2013, has additionally gotten into the social media statistical sword battle. On Jan. 1, just about two months nearest Texas A&M fired Jimbo Fisher however mins nearest Washington defeated Texas within the School Soccer Playoff semifinals, Behrens posted a considering emoji with a detailed evaluating Fisher’s first 3 years at A&M to Texas professor Steve Sarkisian’s first 3 years at Texas.
— Robert Behrens (@rcb05) January 2, 2024
“I’ll throw out a completely factual statement that obviously implies an opinion or where I’m trying to lead you, but if someone tries to call me on it, I can just say, ‘Well, what did I say that was wrong?’” Behrens mentioned. “I’m not going to say that I’m always objective, because I have a rooting interest and a bias. But I try to do it from a place that everybody can appreciate.”
Posts from Aggies or Longhorns concerning the alternative, then again authentic or disingenuous, generally fan the flames of a response. As a result of — even if they haven’t performed — the competition nonetheless issues to each side.
“Each side will tell you, ‘Oh, we’re in their head rent-free,’” mentioned Amanda Atwell, a 2016 Texas graduate and previous sports activities anchor who incessantly posts concerning the Longhorns on X. “And they’re both renting out spaces in each other’s heads. I think we can just admit that at this point.”
Liucci, Jones mentioned, “likes to mix it up on social media with Texas fans.” Ketchum doesn’t shy clear of it both.
“I jokingly call myself Texas A&M’s No. 1 historian,” Ketchum mentioned. “I’ve seen it all. It’s a different perspective of their history, but for the last 30 years, I know all the names, I know all the coaches, I’ve seen where all the bodies are buried. So it makes this weekend a lot of fun because I’ve missed it.
“I’ve missed Aggies. I’ve missed the rivalry and just being in each other’s lives, literally every day. Life’s better when these two have something cooking against each other.”
Liucci had combined emotions concerning the competition returning sooner than Texas moved into the SEC, however as soon as the Longhorns did, the go back of the sport couldn’t get right here rapid plenty, he mentioned. He’ll relish the anticipation to say superiority if the Aggies win on Saturday, however he additionally is aware of what’s looking ahead to him on social media in the event that they lose.
“You talk it, you better be able to back it up,” he mentioned. “On Twitter, the receipts are there for everyone to have on both sides.
“Everybody just wants bragging rights.”
(Picture of Texas A&M’s Ben Malena in 2011: Darren Carroll / Getty Pictures)
