Sports

Baylor Football’s Poorly-Executed ‘Stripe Out’ Does Not Bode Well For Dave Aranda’s Job Security

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Baylor Football Stripe Out Dave Aranda Fired
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Baylor attempted a ‘Stripe Out‘ for Saturday’s Homecoming college football game in Waco. Unsurprisingly, its fanbase failed to pull it off for more reasons than one.

An underwhelming crowd was unable to execute an extremely confusing blueprint, largely because it simply does not care to go above and beyond for a bad team.

A ‘Stripe Out,’ for those who are not familiar, is a fun way to try and increase fan engagement. Fans are asked to wear a specific color shirt depending on their section. If everybody adheres to the plan, it creates a pattern of stripes throughout the entire stadium.

Here is an example of a successful ‘Stripe Out’ at Auburn earlier this year:

Whenever a school does some kind of theme for its crowd, it provides specific instruction on what to wear. Every single section in the stadium is assigned a specific color. The colors create the stripes.

It’s not rocket science!

Baylor’s layout for Saturday was an epic failure. Not only was it confusing for folks on the far side of the stadium, it wasn’t even that striped…

To make matters worse, Baylor fans already gave up on head coach Dave Aranda. They stopped showing up to games after the first month of the season.

Between the subpar attendance and limited ‘Stripe Out’ participation, McLane Stadium did not look like the administration had hoped.

The stripes were not striping.

It was an epic failure.

Barring a remarkable late-season turnaround, Dave Aranda is likely going to be fired after this season. He lost the fanbase with a 3-9 record in 2023 and will need a miracle to get them back.

Saturday’s ‘Stripe Out’ exemplifies the need for change at Baylor. Nobody cared about their assigned color. Nobody even cared to be there in the first place.

A head coach’s job security should not be determined by the fanbase’s participation in a gimmick, obviously. However, the lack of execution stems from a lack of interest in the program. A head coach’s job security should be determined by fan attendance— in addition to wins and losses.

The Bears are not winning and their fans are clearly checked out!