Will Kansas State fans ever change?

New Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang said The Thing yesterday. Tang channeled the trash talking phrase "Rent Free" to launch a message to his fanbase: The Kansas game doesn’t define us.

Tang is right. He’s reasonable. He’s even fiery. And still, I’m not sure it’s possible for Kansas State fans to pull off what he’s asking. In fact, it may be impossible.

The phrase “rent free” has bounced around sports fandom for the last few years. It’s used to describe a fan of one team preoccupied with their rival. It implies the rival lives for free in the head of the other fan.

Tang is trying to teach his fanbase to see the big picture. He’s trying to show them there’s another way. He comes from Baylor, where the fanbase could've been, but wasn’t, obsessed with Texas. The Big 12 is the best conference in college basketball and winning at a high level means you have to bring it every night.

Still, Kansas State dropped a hype video on the same day narrated by Dean Wade and Rodney Macruber. In the first 20 seconds, Wade suggests the KU game is “what each [K-State] player is remembered by”

Tang is trying to break the mold left behind by Bruce Weber, a man haunted by Kansas. He didn’t cut his hair literally because of Kansas. Every time a KState fan or player looked at Weber, they saw bangs representing the Jayhawks. Kansas didn’t just live for free in Weber’s head. It lived for free ON his head.

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Kansas State has played the unfortunate role of the Washington Generals opposite the Golden Era of Kansas Jayhawks basketball. The fanbase learned for the last three decades that the Manhattan game can make their season. It’s their best atmosphere of the year, a rabid crowd that gets to storm the court once every few years. The crowd is genuinely great when the Jayhawks are in town.

Somehow the Wildcats haven’t sold out a home game yet this year, according to ESPN. Bramlage was a season-high 88% full in their most recent home game against Oklahoma State.

I’m glad to see Tang referencing how fans talk on Twitter. Both KU and KState fans like to lob “rent free” as an insult to the other fanbase. Frankly, it’s overplayed at this point. Tang knows it, too.

The Jayhawks take the court tonight and the main attraction will still be a frothing hatred for KU. These cultural changes take time. If Kansas loses, it'll be on to TCU. I'm not sure it's the same mentality for The Wildcats.

Tang is trying to show his fanbase there’s another way. It’ll be up to Kansas State fans to follow his advice.