Big 12 football: Mack Brown’s bad timing on hook ‘em sign
Mack Brown says the upside down “Hook ‘em Horns” sign is a sign of disrespect, to which I say, no kidding.
Mack has a decent point with his declaration that it ought to be a penalty for opposing players to give the upside down hook ‘em. We wrote a story for the Tuesday Oklahoman, which you can read here, about Mack’s belief that the Big 12 should address the issue.
I don’t agree with him, but he at least has a point. A point that was made at the most inopportune of times. For this reason. Saturday, Texas hosts Iowa State. You can watch the game on, wait for it, The Longhorn Network.
The Texas-Iowa State game is on The Longhorn Network. The Big 12 television policy calls for each school to retain one game a season for its own distribution. A compromise was reached in the new agreement that gave Texas the ability to put two games on The Longhorn Network. Finally, threw ESPN maneuvering, a conference game was added to the mix, a fact that drew rolled eyes from a Big 12 administrator when we discussed it a few weeks ago.
The ‘Horns just never let it rest. Always up to something. Always pushing for more more more. That’s why Texas A&M and Nebraska left the conference. Not just The Longhorn Network. The Longhorn Attitude. We want what we want, and we want it when we want it, and please don’t put your pointer finger and your pinkie in a downward sign, because it disrupts our delicate constitution.
Of course, A&M forgot and Nebraska never learned how to deal with the ‘Horns. Beat their butt on a regular basis, and the rest is just details.
Mack’s point, I think, is this. The down hook sometimes is meant to instigate negative emotion, and that clearly falls under the umbrella of unsportsmanlike conduct. But it’s not always that way. Two examples:
* Let’s say Daytawion Lowe makes a diving interception of a Texas pass and gets up making the down hook sign in the direction of Mike Davis or some UT receiver. That to me is unsportsmanlike.
* Let’s say Lowe makes a diving pick and runs off the field, toward his sideline, making the down hook. That’s not unsportsmanlike. That’s just an attempt to get his teammates and fans fired up. I don’t know if it works, but that’s the attempt.
So Mack is partially right. But it’s situational. And it should not become a special Big 12 rule. The request comes across as more Texas whining, as R.J. Washington said. Comes across as typical Longhorns. A request of some kind of special dispensation. Which is not exactly new to other Big 12 members.
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