#BearsOfBaylor — “We made a rule early on… In Waco, the kids wear green and gold.”
Her: “I’m a fifth-generation Baylor Bear! I have always loved Baylor, and the decision was made a little easier when I got some great vocal music scholarships. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after I graduated from undergrad, so I decided to stay and continue graduate school. I love my alma mater for the education I received, the community I built, the jobs I held there while going to school and the community I continue to feel as a “grown-up” with Bears around the globe. Hopefully at least one of my girls will continue the family tradition!”
Him: “I had a good friend who was a few years older who convinced me that UT was the place to be.”
Her: “We always support both teams unless they are playing each other. We both enjoy college football so we watch both teams (when our kids let us). We made a rule early on: If Baylor and UT are playing each other in Waco, the kids wear green and gold. If they are playing each other in Austin, they wear burnt orange. This goes for any sporting event. I’m happy to say neither one of us takes football too seriously, so we don’t really talk smack or rub wins and losses in the other’s face. It’s fun to have a healthy competition, but it’s just fun for us… Just football.”
Him: “You can’t stereotype people by where they got an education, just like you can’t put people in boxes based on their race, cultural background or religion. Be bigger than that. Be the one to embrace your “enemy” (if we can even call a football rival an enemy). It’s okay to love your team and be loyal, but never at the expense of another person’s dignity.”
Her: “Honestly, the bottom line is that your football rival (the one you might vilify) is loved by God just as much as you are. We tell the girls that sports rivalries are just that — SPORTS rivalries. Being on a certain team shouldn’t have anything to do with how a person is treated as a person. Grace and empathy should always come first.”
[Every Baylor Bear has a story; #BearsOfBaylor brings those stories to you, one by one. These stories, these people… This is our Baylor.]