Reading the last few days of these threads one experience I had I would like to share, bare with me. Hardware sells.
An acquaintance owns a pawn shop/gold buyer store in central EP. He had a UTEP bowl ring and a NMSU WAC champ ring. He had them on display next each other. Other than the dichotomy that was going thru my brain the end result that hit me was a) Damn, they had to pawn these for cash after earning them after playing the highest level of collegiate sports and b) I wanted to be in their shoes. I busted my ass in high school hoping to make that level, but that’s besides the point.
Do we want bragging rights like the other major conference fans display? UTEP fans don’t expect major conference affiliation (pipe dreams did happen when Price arrived) but we want in with the MW. We circle jerk over it, admit it.
Those players who owned those rings once, they paid there dues to earn that ring. Do we as boosters and fans give in like kind? NO! El Paso and Las Cruces does not sell out the seats even during successful seasons? NMSU put back to back to back etc basketball seasons and it wasn’t good enough for LC unless UTEP or later, GCU was on the bill. For UTEP, UTEP had one of the best backs in the nation in AJ. His last game in a UTEP uni the stands were empty as he went off in beast mode. I was so disgusted with Kugler I didn’t even want too spend on a $10 ticket. It was my loss.
UTEP fans wishes it has NMSU AD. NMSU wishes it had some of UTEP’s revenue streams (as paltry as they are) so it didn’t had to schedule Liberty twice in the same football season.
NMSU has a Big 10 coach who resurrected a Big 10 school but left for health reasons. UTEP has a rehashed coach from KSU who was instrumental in Synder’s early success that took a hapless program to legit status. His first few at UTEP were rough to say the least.
Now both will be conference mates. For decades this was a pipe dream. The pipe dream is now reality.
Looking at both those rings I saw a few months ago brought sadness because two players had to pawn them but it is now our new future.
Let us show both players divided by 45 minutes of road travel that not all was in vein. CUSA is not a premier league, I get it. Does a business owner go over the past failures. No! They learn from it. A business owner gives his customers a reason to return and return again. Hope to make things better is on a business owners front mind. I am such one person. I own a small business.
I am going to buy season tickets and “hope” UTEP over achieves. I’ve been doing this since the 80’s
Decades ago I heard a UTEP basketball legend had his WAC ring seen for sale in a pawn shop. I was sad. Selling of major America sports champ rings is more common than we think. A movie was made about it a few years ago [Uncut Gems]. After what I saw in that central jewelry store I said not if I can help it. I support the players and will make sure my budget includes season tickets. It’s not SEC athletics but UTEP is all I have in my back yard and that diploma hanging in my house is my priceless treasure. I earned it just like that NMSU and UTEP player earned their conference and bowl ring.
t.co
klaq.com
