Fans know true meaning behind Celebrate Cotton game

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - Saturday, the Texas Tech football team took on the UTEP Miners.

You may know that this game was the fourth annual "Celebrate Cotton" game.

There were events all around the South Plains leading up to Saturday's game, which highlights a big economic driver here on the South Plains.

Now, you might notice- fans were encouraged to "white-out" the Jones as they celebrate cotton.

So, we asked fans why they were wearing white.

And while most were unsure, one Tech fan, Eric Washington says cotton.

"It's a cotton game, it's an appreciation of cotton, which is a huge part in Lubbock," he said.

He says being from Muleshoe, farming is a part of his family.

"A lot of our family farm cotton, so it's a great economic resource for this area," the Tech fan said.

So, for him, representing white means representing his family's livelihood.

As kick-off neared, a sea of fans, decked out in white attire, crowded the stadium Saturday- from fans, to even the Tech football players.

"One way or another, almost everything in Lubbock is related or connected to cotton farming," he said.

Even huge tractors were placed near the stadium, as well as, several 500-pound cotton bales to illustrate the true theme behind whiting out the Jones.

"I do try to support the cotton industry as much as possible," Washington said. "It's hard sometimes to know where the cotton might come from, but I do the best I can I guess."

Washington says it's important for fans here in Lubbock to celebrate one of the biggest economic drivers for the South Plains.

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