It is college football season, and if you have not noticed, the St. Edward’s University football team is nowhere to be found. In fact, the St. Edward’s Edsmen, undefeated since the beginning of World War II, have been suspiciously absent for decades.

In all seriousness, football has not been played at St. Edward’s since World War II broke out in Europe in 1939. Funding for a football team simply was not available during wartime, according to a Hilltop Views article about the Edsmen published in 2011.

Every year during football season, students begin speculating about the missing Edsmen. What if St. Edward’s had a football team?

It is difficult to imagine how the St. Edward’s community would change if the “undefeated” Edsmen actually existed. Or if they were actually undefeated. Certainly, a winning football would be a source of entertainment, revenue and school pride. But is the St. Edward’s community really lacking in those areas without a football team?

In comparison to other schools with thriving football programs, St. Edward’s may seem to be lacking indeed. The obvious comparison to be drawn is to The University of Texas at Austin. UT is a “football school.” The Longhorn football team is central to the culture at UT and the entire city of Austin. In fact, football is extremely important to millions of Texans and millions more Americans. Thus, St. Edward’s is missing something that is integral to countless other universities.

In fact, St. Edward’s is missing several integral cultural aspects of other universities. A social Greek life, for example, is completely missing from St. Edward’s. Sororities and fraternities are at the heart of thousands of UT students’ social lives, but not a single St. Edward’s student gets the same experience.

St. Edward’s may seem to lack certain aspects of the culture that surrounds “football schools,” but in general, the St. Edward’s community is not lacking in school pride. Nor is it lacking in entertaining sports events. Admittedly, St. Edward’s is missing the revenue that comes with a football team.

In the absence a football team or Greek life, St. Edward’s has developed a unique culture. Students have developed their own social circles rather than relying on Greek life to determine social status. Furthermore, the culture at St. Edward’s encourages uniqueness rather than the sameness that prevails in Greek life and football culture. St. Edward’s has countless other sports teams to root for, like lacrosse or soccer. 

Most people simply expect a university in Texas, no matter how small, to have a football team. St. Edward’s defies that expectation. A revived Edsmen team would drastically change the uniqueness that has developed at St. Edward’s. Maybe the Edsmen were the pride of St. Edward’s in the early 1900s, but St. Edward’s culture has since grown into something vastly different from the culture at schools like UT.

Ultimately, it is extremely unlikely that the Edsmen will ever return to play football at St. Edward’s. The unique culture at St. Edward’s is probably better off that way.