"One flag, one star, one state ... one school," Matthew McConaughey says as he introduces the Longhorn Network in a two-minute promotional video. On Friday night, the Texas Longhorns quietly launched their own behemoth network after much fanfare and controversy. And the opening promo was even more amazing than I expected.
This, friends, is trolling at its finest. Somewhere, Texas A&M is gritting its teeth at the Longhorn Network's assertion that there is but one school in Texas, and it resides in Austin.
It's just so ... well, it's so wonderfully executed. Not the promo itself -- I could care less about the Longhorn Network introducing itself. Instead, this is the Longhorn Network, summed up in a two-minute video. Matthew McConaughey? Check. Texas taking a not-so-subtle shot at the Aggies? Certainly. Dramatic music and a slow-mo of the Hook 'Em Horns sign? You know it had to be there.
And thus, we have the beauty of the Longhorn Network. We've all known it was going to be Texas' big toy -- the deal that provides immense exposure and dollars that come with it. And it seemed likely that this behemoth would cause jealousy in Big 12 circles; Texas A&M is probably gone for the SEC, and the network must have played some kind of role. But this is Texas embracing its role as the 1,000 pound gorilla and coming out with guns ablaze and middle fingers in the air.
Kudos to Texas. Troll hard or go home.