I get funny looks every time I say it out loud: I am an OU fan who cheers for OSU any time the Cowboys aren’t playing the Sooners. People look at me like I just announced I put ketchup on steak.
But it’s true. Crimson and Cream is ingrained in my soul. But when OSU lines up against Texas, Baylor, or really anyone else, I’m on the America’s Brightest Orange bandwagon. Why? Because they’re representing Oklahoma. And at the end of the day, I want Oklahoma to win.
That, in a nutshell, is how politics should work.
Unfortunately, we’ve built a culture where admitting you like a policy from “the other team” is treated like heresy. We’re so conditioned to pick a side and boo forever that we forget the point of politics isn’t rooting for politicians like they’re linebackers, it’s about governing. As long as the job is getting done, it shouldn’t matter which party holds office.
But just like with OU and OSU, there are fans who can’t see past their own end zone. Some Sooner fans want OSU to lose every game, even if the Cowboys are playing the Longhorns. Likewise, some Cowboy fans will root against OU even when the Sooners are playing Alabama, which is like cheering for a tornado just because you don’t like your neighbor’s roof.
That kind of mindset in politics… refusing to give an inch of support to the “other side” even when it benefits everyone is exhausting, unproductive, and, frankly, obnoxious.
Bedlam is a rivalry, not a lifestyle. Bedlam is supposed to be once a year. You pick your side, scream yourself hoarse, and either gloat or sulk for a few days. And then? You go back to normal life. Maybe you even congratulate a co-worker who was on the winning side.
But in politics, Bedlam is treated like a permanent condition. Every day is rivalry day, and too many people act like they’re duty-bound to despise the other side no matter the issue.
That’s not how rivalries work, and it’s not how governing should work either. If OU loses a nail-biter to OSU, I don’t go around wishing Stillwater would collapse into a sinkhole. I grumble, maybe say a sarcastic jab to my Cowboy loving husband, and then I move on. Because when OSU plays Texas the next week, you’d better believe I’m wearing my best orange.
Politics should be the same way. Debate hard during election season. Argue your case. Draw your lines. But once the votes are counted, we should all be rooting for the people elected to succeed, even if they weren’t our pick.
Hating for the sake of hating… Every fan base has that guy. You know the one. He’s never happy unless the rival is losing. His whole identity is built around hating the other side. If OSU beats Texas, he’ll say, “Well, they only won because Texas played badly.” If OU wins a bowl game, he’ll mutter, “Yeah, but it doesn’t count.”
Politics is full of those guys too. The folks who can’t admit when a leader from the other party does something right. The people who reflexively oppose anything with a “D” or an “R” attached, even if the policy would help their own community.
That’s not principle. That’s petty arrogance dressed up as loyalty.
Imagine if OU fans rooted for Alabama to crush OSU in a bowl game just because they hate orange. That’s rooting against Oklahoma itself. And when we act like that in politics… when we cheer for leaders to fail just because of the party label next to their name… we’re rooting against ourselves.
And don’t get me started on cable news. It’s turned into the sports talk radio of politics: lots of yelling, zero perspective, and an endless lineup of callers who sound way too confident for people who still get their information from Facebook memes.
At the end of the day, football is about winning games, and politics is about solving problems. Both are supposed to be bigger than tribal loyalty.
Winning in football means your team scores more points. Winning in politics means schools get funded, roads get fixed, businesses grow, and communities thrive.
And here’s the kicker: just like a state can have more than one good football program, it can have more than one party with good ideas. It’s not about which logo is on the helmet, or what letter is next to a candidates name on the ballot, it’s about whether the work gets done.
If we treated politics the way we treat fantasy football drafts, we’d be a lot more honest. People pick a quarterback from one team, a running back from another and a kicker from wherever they can find one. Nobody says, “Sorry, I can only draft Cowboys.” But in politics, too many people insist on playing with a one-party roster, even if that means putting a third-string punter in charge of education.
So yes, I’m an OU fan who cheers for OSU when they’re not playing each other. And I’m also a citizen who believes that good governance matters more than party loyalty.
If we could all root that way, rooting for Oklahoma, rooting for America, no matter who’s in charge, we’d be a lot better off.
Be kind to your neighbors Be kind to your pets Don’t let politics make you petty