8 Reasons Your College Football Team Isn't Respected

For my football people, especially college football people:

My attention was drawn to this article the other week, and all I can say is....sigh. I'm speechless. If ever there was evidence of why "Miss. State" fans got me off their sides, this is it. I'll let you read for yourself.

"Get Back In Your Place, Mississippi State"

Did you enjoy? Do you feel the need to convert to Cowbell Nation? Mississippi State fans, are you re-inspired? Great

Cowbell Nation, hopefully you too Mr. Metal Building Dawg, please follow. I will make this quick:

1. Look at the 2013 SEC. How does you team stack up? Be real, should people put them ahead of the likes of Bama, LSU, TAMU, and so on?
   
   No one is saying that there is no chance the team can win; it's just that it's a long shot. Hell, Columbus High doesn't look good on paper versus Alabama, but it's not totally impossible. How many times can one team get lucky in a season though? Now that's face value for you.
2. You're not expected to accept mediocrity; you've already done that on your own.
   The last few years? I would accept your gripe if Mississippi State was just in a down turn. Miami fans can have this complaint, but MSU cannot. You're talking about a program that has not won its conference since 1941 and not won its division since 1998, which no one expected them to do.
   Since then they have been considered as contenders three or four times in 14 years!
   
   During that time, you keep selling out home games and taking road trips in hopes of winning "the big one". If you don't accept mediocrity, stop caring like you did for the Braves and Falcons.
3. You name dropped South Carolina as a reputable comparison? Tale of the tape: South Carolina has a 51% all-time winning percentage compared to the Bulldog's 49%; that's a lot more "squat" than yours. Lou Holtz to Jackie Sherrill. One Heisman winner. I don't even believe State has had a Heisman finalist much less anyone on the damn watch list. Fifteen All-Americans to 3. Spurrier was hired to win not change the image of a school like you fuckers did to Coach Croom, who by they way isn't considered as a notable coach by Wikipedia standards for what that's worth to you. The schools you mentioned expect their teams to come in and attract winning talent not change the way people look at the program. Nothing says respect like winning games.
4. Ole Miss? Did you sleep on the fact that The Rebels had one the greatest recruiting classes in 2013, top 10 on most boards. I know how you college football fans love your rankings. I'll let you go find your beloved Bulldogs somewhere around 26 or so. Couple Ole Miss's recruiting success with the fact they closed the 2012 year on a high note with a team that wasn't expected to make much noise is eye raising.
   
   College football is a "what have you done lately" industry; polls are influenced why what a team did last week and have no consideration of the road ahead. Your fans and school has been focused on recruiting the top players in the state of Mississippi; players who are not converting to nationally known names in many instances.
5. Perception is nothing when it comes to recruiting. Successful recruiting isn't about selling a winning tradition to most recruits. These kids want to play and become known for the most part. It's not about the love of the game; the perception of whether or not a player can go to a school, get a spot on the field, be noticed by a pro scout, and become a professional player. That's they way it works for the good ones at least. There are some that want to be college famous and some that just want to play football for as long as they are able. Right now, Mississippi State recruiting a lot of college-only players to play against teams that have guys that want to be NFL prospects. Consider your job for a moment; you're working for a promotion in the same office with a co-worker who could care less about advancing with the company as long as the paycheck stays consistent. Who is going to put in more work? I'm not shitting on Mississippi State's players; I respect the shit out of them because they football breaks down one's body the same way regardless of winning or losing. At the end of the day you end up with a guy playing to win a few games against a guy playing to win a paycheck.
6. Winning gives one bragging rights, correct? Well as a Mississippi State fan, you have 49% of the right to brag. Other programs that you named have winning traditions and thus a large fan base. Enrollment does not equal a life of fanhood. Your issue is with school spirit not fans. As a State alum, I tried to the school spirit thing; other students like Metal Building Dawg were part of the reason I stopped caring. I still see it to this day; I don't have to care about the sports program of the school I attend. These athletic departments have a marketing department for a reason. If you think for one second that they are seeking the student body as the fan base, you are terribly mistaken. The job is to get more people purchasing school approved merchandise regardless of their school ties or lack there of. School spirit is the easy part of their job. Once again, stop caring when the product doesn't live up to your expectations and make these assholes work to fill those seats and sell that merchandise. You and your fan boys have accepted your mediocrity. By the way, Mississippi State has traveled to the likes of Troy, Middle Tennessee, and Louisiana Tech (I know Miami did the same but follow the point) in recent years. Nothing says the times are not looking up like traveling to a small school unless there is some backhanded recruiting objectives.
7. The man or woman who attends a school solely of the fact that they are a fan of a sports team and they are not a player is a loser. Does sports mean that much to people that they will attend a school not for the program of study but for the team on the field and run the risk of paying more for an education than may be warranted? Yes, and it is asinine  I enrolled at Mississippi State because of the engineering program, my intended major. I don't know why anyone else did, but if the athletic department is one of the top 3 and athletics is nowhere near his or her career goals, I'd have to question priorities. Maybe being a fan of Alabama and a student at Alabama is not in the budget. Just let them be a fan of their team for whatever reason, and you stick by your team for whatever reason. Bandwagon fans will always exist. Most of the True Maroon fans I've ever met, and there's a lot of them, are part time fans of some other team when the Bulldogs aren't playing. 
8. CONGRATULATIONS! There comes a time in every fan's life, self included, when they get to grand stand. Let everyone know how you supported the team when they were losing. Fortunately for the good Mississippi State fan, there has been a lot of supporting and not a lot of winning over the past 30 years. Of course there has been a few winning seasons sprinkled here and there along with a string of Egg Bowl victories. There's been nothing that you can point to as a recent golden age, but you have hope right? As for the point being made in reference to the Braves and Falcons, hypocrisy. 

Analysis: Metal Building Dawg, aka @CroomDiaries is hurt. He's hurt because he wants his average ass program to be respected the same as teams that are putting up 10 and 11 win seasons. He's mad because turns on his television and does not see anyone mentioning his beloved Bulldogs as more than an afterthought in the SEC Western division. I picture him as the only person showing up to work supporting Mississippi State and everyone giving him the eye. He can't contribute to the discussion about football due the fact that he was at the ONE game where MSU upset Bama. He went to watch the game at a bar and was the only jerk with a cowbell and couldn't figure out why they wouldn't turn on the Bulldogs vs. Alcorn. By the way did he make a off handed threat? I'll take that cowbell to the head and see you in court buddy.