RSS
Home
This is the reason why
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
A typical small crowd at an NMSU football game in 2008. (Photo by Lance Crenshaw)
Las Cruces-Sun News sports editor Teddy Feinberg published a column in Sunday's edition of the newspaper, stating his opinion on why local athletes would rather play football at the University of New Mexico, rather than New Mexico State University.
Feinberg, who is a very knowledgeable and good writer, used Onate standout player Zach Daugherty as the basis for proving his points in his column, as Daugherty committed to UNM last week. Feinberg gave his list of reasons of why Daugherty, among other Las Cruces area athletes in the past, have chosen UNM instead of NMSU; and while I agree with most of his argument, he forgot to leave out the top reason why these kids don't want to suit up for the Aggies.
So, what is the top reason Las Cruces area athletes, especially football players, choose UNM instead of NMSU? The answer is quite simple, and as a former high school and college athlete, I can relate to what goes through these kids' minds when choosing their school of choice; and to put it plain, simple, and rather blunt, the reason is because the NMSU Aggie football team is one of the laughingstocks of NCAA Division I football.
To truly understand my point, put yourself in the shoes of a standout Las Cruces prep athlete. Let's say you attend Mayfield High School, and you are a football player. The Mayfield Trojans are one of the best teams in the state every year, and their fan base is more dedicated and passionate about their team than any fan can say about the Aggies. When Mayfield plays against cross-town rival Las Cruces High each season, the average attendance for that game alone is close to 30,000 people; and this is regardless of what either of the teams record is. The Aggie football team, on the other hand, averages about 30,000 fans per three home games, combined. So, if you are used to playing in front of nice, big crowds, why would you choose to play at NMSU, where the fans rarely top the 5,000 count for home games?
Also, why would you want to attend NMSU, a D-I school, when you could go to Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, a D-II school, and play in front of almost double the fan base that attend Aggie games? UNM, which has seemingly made it to a bowl game every year this millennium, averages almost triple the fan base than the Aggies. Plus, Las Cruces will always be a "high school football town" and never a "college football town"; the fans just don't care. The Aggies play in a conference dominated every year by Boise State, and NMSU has only five winning seasons since the 1960s. If anything, most Las Cruces residents probably believe the area high school football teams could beat the Aggies on the field; and not because of more talent or size, but because the Aggies are notorious for losing, and they don't know how to play in front of a big home crowd, because they have never seen one!
I hope new NMSU football coach DeWayne Walker can be the miracle worker the few Aggie fans have been wishing for, but I can't be very optimistic due to the fact the Aggies have never really been competitive in football, or at least not since the 1960s. I hope Walker proves me wrong, and he can start recruiting these local kids that choose UNM instead of NMSU, because deep down, I bleed crimson and white. NMSU is my alma mater, and nothing would please me more than the Aggies actually competing and winning more than five games in a season. if that ever happens, I will definitely shut my mouth, and be the first one to congratulate the team on its success.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
