TCU faces Texas in a Big 12 college basketball game at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas on Sunday, March 7, 2021 (3/7/21).
Fans can watch the game with ESPN +. Sign up with the subscription streaming service here.
Here’s what you need to know:
What: Big 12, college basketball
who: Texas vs. TCU
When: Sunday March 7, 2021
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Or: Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena
TV: N / A
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Direct: ESPN +
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Racist emails sent to University of Texas amid debate over school song “The Eyes of Texas” were “heinous and hateful” but do not really represent alumni and Longhorn fans University president Jay Hartzell said on Tuesday.
Hartzell was responding to a report released on Monday by the Texas Tribune which featured emails sent by angry school supporters at a group of soccer players refused to sing the traditional song after games because of its historical links to racist minstrel performances.
The Texas Tribune reported that the vast majority of the more than 300 emails received as part of a public recording request demanded that the school retain the song, and dozens warned donors would withhold money. if the players weren’t in line. Several have said that black players should drop out of school if they don’t want to sing.
As of Monday, at least two former players have tweeted that they have received threats from fans in Texas for protesting the song.
“People who target our students with hateful opinions do not represent the values of the Longhorn community,” Hartzell said in his statement. “A few extremist views in the sample emails reported by the Texas Tribune do not speak for the 540,000 Longhorn alumni who actively support our students and our university. Of the many emails I received this fall, a very small number contained truly heinous and hateful comments. I categorically reject them and they have no influence on any aspect of our decision making.
Hartzell reiterated the school’s earlier decision that the song stay.
“’The Eyes of Texas’, in its current form, will continue to be our alma mater,” said Hartzell. “Aspects of its origin, whether previously widely known or unknown, have created a loophole in the way the song is understood and celebrated, and this needs to be fixed. “
Hartzell’s statement did not clarify whether financial threats were a major factor in the decision to keep the song.
“My wife and I have donated over a million dollars to athletics. It could very easily be undone if things don’t change drastically here, ”wrote one donor in October. His name was redacted by the school.
Written in 1903 and sung to the tune of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” the song is standard in the land of the Longhorns. For decades it has been sung after games and graduation ceremonies and is a popular song at weddings and even funerals.
The title of the song is taken from a favorite saying of a former school president who imitated the remarks of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. “The Eyes of Texas” was regularly performed by blackface musicians during minstrel shows.
New football coach Steve Sarkisian has said the players will “sing it proudly” next season.
Hartzell said the school will release a report on the history of the song next week which he hopes will spark ongoing conversations in the college community.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
