Texas Trades “Embrace the Hate” Slogan for “Embrace the Meh”

By T. Kent Jones

AUSTIN—On the cusp of its final season in the Big XII, the University of Texas sold T-shirts with the slogan "Embrace the Hate," leaning into the animosity many other schools feel about the Longhorns' move to the Southeastern Conference.

Now, facing a social media backlash against the divisive slogan, UT administrators are quickly rolling out new shirts featuring the slogan: "Embrace the Meh."

Admitted one school official, "The Horns went 8-5 last year, OK? The year before that? 5-7. And before that, 7-3 and 8-5. Compared to Baylor, Houston, A&M, TCU, and SMU, UT might not even make the top five in our own state. Reality check, America: Texas is Meh-xas."

Linguists say "meh" is a colloquial term used to express indifference or a lack of enthusiasm. The intention behind the new shirts might be to tamp down the strong emotions that arise when Texas disappoints against teams like Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and in the Alamo Bowl—all in the same season.

Denying that "meh" is an acronym for "Marginally Entertaining Horns," a marketing executive explained, "Instead of encouraging everyone to hate us, Texas should pivot to become the cool, self-aware brand. Despite all the burnt-orange, fake-cowboy nonsense, Texas hasn’t actually beaten anyone significant in a long time. 'Embrace the Meh' is funny because it's true."

In 2024, Texas, along with long-time rival Oklahoma, will join the elite SEC, where the Horns may be forced to "embrace the meh" every Saturday.

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One LSU fan enthused, "We're going to be feasting on Bevo steaks for years. I talked to an Oklahoma State fan, and he said they’re delicious, especially with a side of Longhorn tears."

"They're not good enough to hate," said one Alabama supporter, rolling her eyes. "We save our hate for teams that don't cave in big games."

A Georgia coach observed, "We’ll have to prepare for Texas just as hard as we prepare for… Georgia Tech. Or Elon."

In a time when the country is reeling from escalating hate crimes, Texas students seem split on the two slogans. 

One business major from Denton said, "'Embrace the Hate' really embodies that rich Texas tradition of doubling down in the face of civility or logic—it embraces the stupid." 

A geology major from Fort Worth added, "I don't know what 'meh' means, but if it has something to do with egos, greed, and chasing TV money at the expense of our conference mates, I am so here for it."

A drama major added “Football is stupid.”

While the motto may change, the essence of college football—with its passionate rivalries, shifting alliances, and volatile fan sentiments—remains the same. 

Despite the motto controversy, fans and UT officials did manage to come to one consensus this week - at least they’re not Nebraska.

End of the Bench will have more as this story develops.

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