There were plenty of St. Louis Cardinal fans present at Ranger's Ballpark in Arlington during the 2011 World Series. Many Cardinal fans wore Albert Pojols jerseys during the series, including the one's in the picture (bottom right). Photo by Trevor Stiff.

With the Rangers in their second consecutive historic postseason, many student fans can be seen supporting the team. For some, it gives them a chance to stand out against the claws and antlers to support the Cardinals.

Junior Jared Wiegand, is forced to make a choice between the Rangers and Cardinals, as he grew up in St. Louis but has been a Rangers fan since he moved here in 2001.

“When I lived [in St. Louis] I grew up watching Cardinals games with my family, and even remember attending some,” Wiegand said. “When we moved to Texas, we continued to be Cardinals fans and would often watch their games.”

Being in Texas, Wiegand has become a Rangers fan as well. Being a Cardinals fan first, however, has made this year’s World Series a different experience than last years.

“If the Cardinals weren’t in the World Series, I’d be supporting the Rangers like I did last year,” Wiegand said. “The Rangers are an awesome team and I really enjoy watching their games as well, but now since both of them are in the World Series, I watch the games not really caring about the outcome – I will be happy no matter who wins.”

Wiegand feels that, being in Texas, the influence to cheer for the Rangers has made him be able to pull for both teams.

“I occasionally wear both my Ranger and Cardinals shirts. It’s very unusual being a Cardinals fan in Texas,” Wiegand said. “Everyone in Texas is very much supportive of the Rangers, so it’s really easy to stand out as a Cardinal fan.”

For a true Ranger fan, it can be hard to understand how someone could live in the area and not cheer for the Rangers.

Junior Zach Augustine, a self-described “huge Ranger fan”, thinks anyone who lives here should be behind the Rangers.

“It would be strange for me to cheer for any team other than the Rangers. When you are here, living in North Texas, you are surrounded by Ranger fandom – how you can push all of that aside, I don’t understand,” Augustine said.

However, Augustine sees the situation from both sides.

“If I live elsewhere years down the road, I’ll still be a Ranger fan for life; I can understand why someone who grew up supporting someone else would stick behind them no matter where they live, because I would do the same,” Augustine said.

Staff Writer

After 12 years as one of the most prolific passers in the NFL, QB Kurt Warner is calling it a career. 

While much of the attention in the NFL has been focused on whether Brett Farve will return or not next year, the possible retirement of Warner has been overlooked. This should not be a surprise, as Warner was often overlooked among the NFL’s elite.

 Warner is third all-time with a 93.7 quarterback passer rating and has won three conference titles, one of which (1999) leading to a Super Bowl victory with the Rams. In addition to that, Warner also tallied two MVP awards and four Pro Bowl selections.

 With such an outstanding resume, it’s hard to imagine why Warner was never considered one of the best. He was always a soft-spoken type in a time when charismatic super stars such as Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Favre were the center of the football world.

 Despite this, Warner has been extremely important in his time in the NFL. He led two teams out of the gutter, the Rams in the 1990s and the Cardinals in the late 2000s, and brought them to the Super Bowl.

 Not only was he able to resurrect these once pitiful franchises, but he also was able to remake himself and thrive in the face of failure. In his early 20s, Warner was working at a grocery store to pay the bills with any thoughts of a football career seemingly behind him.

A decade and a half later, Warner has overcome roadblocks to become a likely Hall of Famer in a few years.

Warner has had a major impact on the NFL and what he has experienced in his career is unique. By retiring today, the NFL must say goodbye to one of its brightest, yet overlooked superstars. 

For more on Warner’s retirement, click here.