USD/SDSU rooting interests

[kiyoat]

Just a quick survey of the board participants. Personally I have changed since we went D-1. I now have zero reason to root for the Jacks on any level for any reason.

Thought this might stir up some interesting conversation....

[sdyotefan]

I always root against the bunnies and also Billicheat, Dallas Cowboys, and the Irish...

[Yotes]

I chose the first option, it wouldn't bother me one bit to see them lose every single game from here until eternity. I may have a slightly different story than the rest on this board since I enrolled at USD at the start of the Great West era.

When I was a senior in high school and state had a nationally ranked WBB team I thought it was cool to see South Dakota on ESPN. Then I enrolled at USD and never really heard about state again for a few years. I didn't think much of the in-state rivalry starting up again because I knew nothing of their school and had never known there to be any sort of rivalry. The student body at USD was indifferent towards them through most of my undergrad, and so was I. No one ever brought up the other school.

It wasn't until I had a Spring/Summer internship in Brookings in 2013 that I discovered my hatred of the ag school. While USD students went through the transition indifferent towards state, I immediately found the opposite to be true once I got to Brookings. The unprompted shit talking they wanted to engage in was just unending. I knew next to nothing about the school or town and went with an open mind, but after being immersed for 6 months I came away very bitter - a feeling that's been constantly reinforced in the years since. I wish those unpleasant fans nothing but the absolute worst for their team.

On a side note, I have no problem watching NDSU or UND succeed. My exposure to those fan bases at events has been generally positive.

[Coyote Fan]

It didn't take me long to forever root against the Jacks. The only time I will root for them is when it directly beneficial for USD such as if the Jacks would need to beat NDSU for the Coyotes to win a conference title, then it would be a different story. My love for the Coyotes far outweights my hate of the Jacks. It was very apparent after the first couple of State vs U games that I went to in the early 90's that it was an easy decision to root against them. People seem to think that the Jacks being good is good for South Dakota. That may or may not be true but them succeeding IMO is hurting USD and it's perception in the state and the region. I would like to know what the perception would be like if USD suddenly became better than them in men's and women's basketball and football for about a 5 year stretch or so. USD is looked upon as inferior and it bugs the heck out of me but the athletic programs have lagged behind them for years. The more people care about the Coyotes that can change. I think Coyotes fans love to win and really support their teams when they have great success. Where I think we lag behind SDSU and NDSU is that we don't hate to lose enough. We need to get off the thought of just wanting to play SDSU and get behind the thought of wanting to beat SDSU. I could care less about playing them personally, I care about beating them. In most places where big rivalries exist when a particular team's rival starts to get an edge on them the mentality is that head need to roll. At USD it is not that way. It is way too "ok" to lose to them and the mentality is "we will get them next time" which usually never ends up being the case. When the mentality around USD turns to an intolerance of losing to that school then that is when things can truly change but until that mentality is instilled from the top of the athletic department to the bottom and all throughout the fan base things will never change. SDSU fans are arrogant but they expect to beat USD and if they went too long without beating USD they would have a much tougher time accepting that. Let's face it the status quo in South Dakota is that the Jacks rule the roost. It could not have been more apparent then after the Summit Tourney Semi's. Even when the Coyotes are better the Jacks are still looked upon as better. They have gone dancing for the 4th time and USD is still looking for their first tourney final game appearance.

[wrj]

Mar 19, 2017 13:01:26 GMT -6 Yotes said:

When I was a senior in high school and state had a nationally ranked WBB team I thought it was cool to see South Dakota on ESPN. Then I enrolled at USD and never really heard about state again for a few years. I didn't think much of the in-state rivalry starting up again because I knew nothing of their school and had never known there to be any sort of rivalry. The student body at USD was indifferent towards them through most of my undergrad, and so was I. No one ever brought up the other school.

It wasn't until I had a Spring/Summer internship in Brookings in 2013 that I discovered my hatred of the ag school. While USD students went through the transition indifferent towards state, I immediately found the opposite to be true once I got to Brookings. The unprompted shit talking they wanted to engage in was just unending. I knew next to nothing about the school or town and went with an open mind, but after being immersed for 6 months I came away very bitter - a feeling that's been constantly reinforced in the years since. I wish those unpleasant fans nothing but the absolute worst for their team.

I have to admit that I saw it quite differently. I was here with my daughter for summer orientation in the summer of 2004, when SDSU was in transition and USD was clearly certain that it would remain Division II. It wasn't called orientation. I don't remember what they called it. There was a significant presentation as part of the student life experience portion of the program that concentrated on two main things. The first was that the incoming students' parents were anxious for them to leave the house so they could go back to acting like newlyweds when it came to their sex lives and not have to be sneaky and quiet about it. The second was that the coyotes weren't trying to pretend to be Division I, but instead knew and accepted their place in the world. It was officially a part of the University's presentation of what the incoming freshman should expect. It was absolutely not indifferent toward the transition that State was making. It was full of vengeance and jealousy. But, mostly it was stupid and arrogant, and it was officially a part of the expectations that the USD administration and faculty was presenting. It was really more like something I would have expected from 8th graders. It was far short of what one would expect from what ESPN recently called a marketing school.

I hope that there is someone on the board who was a part of that presentation. I would like to hear their perspective, although I have a hard time believing that with a little maturing over the years it would be nothing but absolute shame and embarrassment.

That being said, each university makes contributions to the citizens of the state of South Dakota that we would be left in a state of lesser quality of life without. I won't enumerate them here. Anyone with any degree of intelligence already knows them. My daughter is a graduate of USD. She went on to graduate school in another state. I have a number of friends who are USD alumni. I honor and respect these family ties and these friendships. I honor and respect the contributions made by all of the universities that are a part of our educational system. I honor and respect each school and its contribution to the betterment of the students from our state and to those students who choose to come to the state of South Dakota from elsewhere. That respect and honor passes to all aspects of each of these universities. That is why I will hope for victory by all of the athletic teams, whether they be Wolves, Yellowjackets, Hardrockers, or Trojans, or even the coyotes.

[Coyote Fan]

WRJ,

With all due respect that is all nice and dandy but it is easier to say that when you cheer for the team that is the darling of the state and has pretty much won everything head to head against the Coyotes that matters. In 10 years if the Coyotes went on to win 20 of the next 25 games against the teams I am not sure if it would be as easy to say that as it is now.

[usdtator]

I pretty much explained my position on this in a previous post on another thread... however, my vitriol for the bunnies runs deep because of the arrogance of the bunny fans. I have family (sister and brother-in-law) and many coworkers and friends who are bunnies. They never ever miss an opportunity to stick it to me or any other Yote fans when they have bested us in competition.

I NEVER talk smack when the Yotes are victorious, primarily because I know how it feels to be on the opposite end of that and... that is just not me. However, it is quite common for me to receive several texts and emails from these family members, friends, and co-workers when the bunnies beat the Yotes to let me know that once again they have beaten my Yotes.

Humility is not in their DNA... something happens when people attend the Ag school... not sure how or why it happens, but they change... and hanging on to their success in their sports programs is their only identity in life... Imagine how many fewer STATE shirts we would have to see in public if they didn't have any success in sports. No Ag school grad would brag about attending that school if they didn't have successful sports teams.

So maybe we should feel sympathy for them...?

Should maybe be one more voting category..."I am a Coyote fan, but I sometimes root for the bunnies because I feel sad that that is all they have"?

[sdyotefan]

usdtator--I agree with your post 100%. I've always said I think they have an inferiority complex when comparing themselves to The University of South Dakota!! USD is the number one rated educational university in South Dakota and has 7 colleges or schools (Law, Business, Medicine--Dr and nursing, Education, Arts and Science, Fine Arts and Health Sciences) while the bunnies have 5 (Ag, Nursing, Education, Arts and Science, Engineering and Pharmacy). USD also has many more grad degrees. I have many bunny friends that have masters, etc from USD. So if they don't win in sports then what do they have??? And now they're getting worried about sports so.....

[Yotes]

Mar 19, 2017 14:30:46 GMT -6 wrj said:

Mar 19, 2017 13:01:26 GMT -6 Yotes said:

When I was a senior in high school and state had a nationally ranked WBB team I thought it was cool to see South Dakota on ESPN. Then I enrolled at USD and never really heard about state again for a few years. I didn't think much of the in-state rivalry starting up again because I knew nothing of their school and had never known there to be any sort of rivalry. The student body at USD was indifferent towards them through most of my undergrad, and so was I. No one ever brought up the other school.

It wasn't until I had a Spring/Summer internship in Brookings in 2013 that I discovered my hatred of the ag school. While USD students went through the transition indifferent towards state, I immediately found the opposite to be true once I got to Brookings. The unprompted shit talking they wanted to engage in was just unending. I knew next to nothing about the school or town and went with an open mind, but after being immersed for 6 months I came away very bitter - a feeling that's been constantly reinforced in the years since. I wish those unpleasant fans nothing but the absolute worst for their team.

I have to admit that I saw it quite differently. I was here with my daughter for summer orientation in the summer of 2004, when SDSU was in transition and USD was clearly certain that it would remain Division II. It wasn't called orientation. I don't remember what they called it. There was a significant presentation as part of the student life experience portion of the program that concentrated on two main things. The first was that the incoming students' parents were anxious for them to leave the house so they could go back to acting like newlyweds when it came to their sex lives and not have to be sneaky and quiet about it. The second was that the coyotes weren't trying to pretend to be Division I, but instead knew and accepted their place in the world. It was officially a part of the University's presentation of what the incoming freshman should expect. It was absolutely not indifferent toward the transition that State was making. It was full of vengeance and jealousy. But, mostly it was stupid and arrogant, and it was officially a part of the expectations that the USD administration and faculty was presenting. It was really more like something I would have expected from 8th graders. It was far short of what one would expect from what ESPN recently called a marketing school.

I hope that there is someone on the board who was a part of that presentation. I would like to hear their perspective, although I have a hard time believing that with a little maturing over the years it would be nothing but absolute shame and embarrassment.

That being said, each university makes contributions to the citizens of the state of South Dakota that we would be left in a state of lesser quality of life without. I won't enumerate them here. Anyone with any degree of intelligence already knows them. My daughter is a graduate of USD. She went on to graduate school in another state. I have a number of friends who are USD alumni. I honor and respect these family ties and these friendships. I honor and respect the contributions made by all of the universities that are a part of our educational system. I honor and respect each school and its contribution to the betterment of the students from our state and to those students who choose to come to the state of South Dakota from elsewhere. That respect and honor passes to all aspects of each of these universities. That is why I will hope for victory by all of the athletic teams, whether they be Wolves, Yellowjackets, Hardrockers, or Trojans, or even the coyotes.

Interesting to hear that story. I certainly wouldn't make it a point to justify NCAA classification to a group of incoming students. Honestly, I don't remember hearing anything about athletics whatsoever during all my incoming student orientations, and I enrolled at a time when they could have made a point about just moving up to D1.

[Yotes]

Mar 20, 2017 8:15:11 GMT -6 usdtator said:

I pretty much explained my position on this in a previous post on another thread... however, my vitriol for the bunnies runs deep because of the arrogance of the bunny fans. I have family (sister and brother-in-law) and many coworkers and friends who are bunnies. They never ever miss an opportunity to stick it to me or any other Yote fans when they have bested us in competition.

I NEVER talk smack when the Yotes are victorious, primarily because I know how it feels to be on the opposite end of that and... that is just not me. However, it is quite common for me to receive several texts and emails from these family members, friends, and co-workers when the bunnies beat the Yotes to let me know that once again they have beaten my Yotes.

Humility is not in their DNA... something happens when people attend the Ag school... not sure how or why it happens, but they change... and hanging on to their success in their sports programs is their only identity in life... Imagine how many fewer STATE shirts we would have to see in public if they didn't have any success in sports. No Ag school grad would brag about attending that school if they didn't have successful sports teams.

So maybe we should feel sympathy for them...?

Should maybe be one more voting category..."I am a Coyote fan, but I sometimes root for the bunnies because I feel sad that that is all they have"?

It's the arrogance that gets me. My mind runs over several incidents at State-U games where blue fans go out of their way to make complete asses out of themselves. Sure, every fanbase has their undesirables, but I've never seen anything like this anywhere else.