College football rivalries run deep, often stretching back generations and serving as a crystallization of more than just sports. Often, an area's actual history plays a role, and on Friday, that will absolutely be the case when the Missouri Tigers travel to face the Kansas Jayhawks. The two states adjoin, so naturally, their state schools' rivalry is called the Border War (or Border Showdown in a more modern rebranding attempt), but Kansas may be taking the "war" part very literally.
Alongside the caption of "It is that deep," Kansas football published a video blasting their rivals for their shared history going back to the mid 1800s. It was then that the literal Border War — aka Bleeding Kansas — occurred in which Missourians, where slavery was legal, tried to have the newer Kansas enter the union as a slave state as well. Anti-slavery and free-state militants in Kansas became known as Jayhawkers, giving rise to the school's mascot, and that connection to the modern day athletics scene was heavily emphasized in Kansas' video, titled "Heroes and Villains." Over Metro Boomin and Future's track "Superhero (Heroes & Villains)", the narrator, former Jayhawk and longtime NFL player Gilbert "the Gravedigger" Brown, explains that "this rivalry is different because it's built on something much deeper than just school pride." "It's fueled by hatred passed down through generations," Brown adds over historical maps and images, including of the famed abolitionist and insurrectionist John Brown.
"Our roots stretch back to the Civil War, when blood was spilled over what you believed in and which side you stood on. "There are heroes and villains. Only allegiance decides their legacy.
There's Kansas and Missouri. ... When we collide, it goes beyond the game." Whether that historical legacy will affect the on-field product Friday night remains to be seen. The Tigers, ranked No. 23 in the country, are favored, though by less than a touchdown.
Especially given that the game is being played at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas, the Tigers' talent might be offset by the emotion and environment for the Jayhawks. That said, the Tigers boast Ahmad Hardy, perhaps the best running back in college football, so the Jayhawks have their work cut out for them. The game kicks off on Fox at 8 p.m.
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