The Texas football team faced a small online issue just before their first game of the exciting 2023 season. They’re working to address the chatter spreading on social media.
Steve Sarkisian, the team’s head coach, shared the team’s new mindset as he starts his third year in charge. He wants the team to face and overcome the criticism.
“I think that they’ve kind of assumed this mentality of, ‘Embrace the hate.’ We get it. We’re the University of Texas, we get it. This is our last year in the Big 12,” Sarkisian said.
Some online users felt the team’s message was inappropriate, considering the country’s current discussions on race, as reported by Fox News.
However, Chris Del Conte, the athletic director for the Longhorns, supported the team’s message. He clarified its meaning and why they chose it.
“We know we have to embrace the hate this year,” Del Conte explained to Orange Bloods. “Everyone in the Big 12 is mad at us. They think we broke up the Big 12; they think we broke up the Pac 12 because we left.”
The Longhorns hope to move past this issue and focus on their upcoming game. They’ll play Rice on Saturday, and they’re expected to do well. As for their standing in the Big 12, they’re currently the top pick to win in their last season. Texas leads with even odds, while the Oklahoma Sooners follow with higher odds.