November 20, 2024
Feature Image Illustration by Golden Cosmos.
This was a fun one.
Ahead of the return of the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry, I tracked down Longhorn and Aggie fans who spent their lives dedicated to trolling the other side online. It might sound like funny business, but it’s deadly serious. I’m also pretty sure that this story makes me the first person to ever get the word “sheephumper” published in Texas Monthly.
Here’s an excerpt from the story, that unfortunately doesn’t include “sheephumper.” You’ll have to read the rest to find that.
I asked a Texas Ex to describe the A&M commenters on TexAgs. They replied with a short dissertation on how the other side lives. “TexAgs is this bastion of hardcore, die-hard Aggies, and you’ve got two different sets within that,” the Longhorn explained. “You’ve got the ‘sunshine pumpers,’ which are the fans who think every week they’re going to win by fifty, the coach is the greatest to ever live, the quarterback is going to win the Heisman, and are perpetually believing the Aggies are on the cusp of greatness. And it never, obviously, happens. Then, you have the ‘pot bangers.’ That’s the other side of the coin. Those are the Aggies that have what’s called ‘battered Aggie syndrome.’ Everyone knows about that—‘B.A.S.’ They’re so sick of falling on their faces that they’ve just come to terms that failure is inevitable.” The Longhorn laughed. “It’s like catnip for me.”