Assimilation Means More Than Going To A Football Game

For those not chronically online, X erupted over the weekend after Texas Republican Railroad Commissioner nominee Bo French posted a photo of students — all of whom appear to be of South Asian descent — cheering at a football game at the University of Texas. “I heard UT graduation this year looked like this,” French posted. “I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.” I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined. pic.twitter.com/Ys1bql0y4U— Bo French (@bofrench) September 13, 2026 French’s post drew condemnation from the usual suspects, including RINOs like John Cornyn, who accused French of being intolerant and racist. Other critics said that the cheering South Asian students are proof that they assimilated perfectly fine. “These Indians are literally assimilating into traditional American culture by celebrating the Texas comeback win over Ohio State,” user Barry McCockiner posted on X. Another user posted “If you show up at a college football game and cheer wildly when UT pulls off an improbably upset over the #1 ranked team in the nation, you’re assimilated.” Similarly, user Alex Hochberger said “Cheering a UT (American) football win in a UT shirt, with a Cowboy [hat] and screaming like a frat boy from the 1980s movie looks a lot like assimilating.” But those defenses shut down a larger — and important — conversation that French was getting at. In a subsequent post on X, French appeared to explain the underlying concern of his aforementioned post, which is that the photo exposed “how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners.” The photo is a symbol of a demographic change that is altering our culture and institutions across the country. Maybe all of the people in the photo French posted were born here, in fact, it’s probable that they were born here. But just because someone was born on our soil doesn’t magically make them an assimilated American — and that’s a conversation we must have. Many immigrant groups, some generations removed from the initial migrants, cling to cultures and traditions that are fundamentally at odds with American culture. You can see it with the large Hindu temples being erected throughout Texas. You can also see it in the photo. These students appear to be clustered together in one section with their fellow South Asian descendants, as many new immigrants do in neighborhoods in big cities, and that in no way indicates that they’ve assimilated. In fact, immigrants who cluster together seem to be more resistant to true assimilation, and those clusters reinforce native cultures and traditions. Just as French’s photo does not irrefutably tell us those students have not fully assimilated, the photo similarly reminds us that presence at a football game is not conclusive evidence of assimilation. Tourists can and do attend football games. Foreign exchange students can and do go to football games. Some of them probably enjoy a hotdog or hamburger while there or crack open a cold beer in the parking lot. It’s the same way foreigners come here, either temporarily or permanently, and enjoy Hollywood, the Fourth of July, bonfires, or camping without thinking that America is their nation or that Americans are their fellow people. But true assimilation requires more than just going to a football game, and shutting down a bigger conversation about assimilation because people who appear to be of South Asian descent are enjoying an American pastime is unfair, yet what so many on the left and the right want to do just that. According to Axios, there are more than 450,000 Indians living in Texas, “almost double from 2010.” According to Chron, “the majority of the statewide voting bloc is Hindu, while others are of Muslim and Christian faith.” Pew Research found that 48 percent of Indians are Hindu, 8 percent Muslim, 8 percent Sikh, and 15 percent Christian. But religion is a big –and important — part of assimilation. America’s legal, political and cultural frameworks are the product of Christianity. As John Adams wrote, our Constitution “was made only for a moral and religious people” and is “wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Adams was warning that the Constitution does not work with just any set of character, beliefs, values, or moral claims. The Constitution and ordered liberty required citizens to possess virtue and religion — and not just any abstract religion. Adams, like the other Founders, was a Christian. The founders had Christianity in mind. That’s not to say every immigrant has to convert to Christianity, but it is to say that mass immigration from religions vastly different than ours can fundamentally change the moral and cultural framework upon which our Constitution and therefore institutions were built — even if those immigrants do wear UT t-shirts. If America were to replace the entire population tomorrow with 300 million people who were shaped by different religious values and traditions, America would not look the same in its institutions, customs, or protection of liberty because the success of those things in America are downstream of Christianity. Assimilation requires more than just following our laws, it should require adopting the moral and civic traditions that produced our country and institutions. Importing vast amounts of people who statistically do not adopt those moral and civic traditions and convictions because of their religious beliefs does not make America stronger — even if those immigrants and their descendants do cheer at a football game. The large Indian population has also produced somewhat of a parallel culture. According to The Texas Monthly, Indian celebrations in Frisco have become “more vibrant and more public.” The Texas Monthly also reported that some newer Indian immigrants do not regularly interact with Americans of other races. One Frisco resident who has lived in the city since 2012, Mom Roy, said she has had to remind newer immigrants to respect American culture and personal space because, as she explained, Indian culture is not the same as the “culture here.” While Roy’s attempt to help newer immigrants assimilate is an example of her assimilation taking place, it also exposes the problem that this was a necessary lesson to begin with. To presume someone comes to America and automatically assimilates is silly, even if these new immigrants start wearing jeans and t-shirts, or even a Longhorn shirt. Further, ethnic enclaves also inhibit true assimilation — a problem Texas is clearly seeing. If newer immigrants have to be explicitly told to stay out of American’s spaces because of culture differences it likely means they haven’t experienced American culture on their own because they are insulated from it despite living in America. Not to mention that ethnic enclaves allow foreigners to live in parallel societies in which they don’t have to abandon their old habits and attachments. The complications of mass migration also show up in political and tribal divisions outside of the Indian immigrant community too. Recall the 2025 Minneapolis mayoral race. Incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey possibly won because of Somali ethnic blood feuds. State Sen. Omar Fateh is from the Darod clan, but a large part of the Somalis living in Minneapolis are Hawiye. Reporting indicated that Hawiye’s may have withheld support for Fateh because of their clan rivalry. Language is another key measure of assimilation. A few weeks ago I walked Ditmars Boulevard in Queens hoping to talk to Americans about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents that district. The people I approached dressed like me, used the same phone as me, walked the same streets as me. Yet many could not carry a conversation with me in English. Several appeared to be part of the areas longstanding Greek community. I spoke with some who said they were citizens but the language barrier ultimately ended the interview because they couldn’t understand my question. Despite wearing jeans, owning an iPhone, and riding the same public transportation, many were not assimilated — including the citizens. The photograph French became controversial because it represented something larger. Texas’ Indian population has nearly doubled since 2010. Across the country, immigrant enclaves of Somalis, Haitians, Mexicans, Guatemalans, etc., have allowed foreigners to live among their own peel with their own language and culture. That the students of apparent South Asian descent were all clustered together in their own enclave on the stands is perhaps a microcosm of that very same problem. Meanwhile foreign tribal divisions have surfaced in American towns while our government and candidates are using foreign languages to communicate with voters whether it be in campaign ads or translated ballots. Those are real concerns only made possibly by mass migration and lack of required assimilation. French’s post catalyzed a long-needed discussion that shouldn’t be dismissed just because students who appear to be of South Asian descent are participating in a football game. Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2 assimilationHinduImmigrationIndiamass migrationTexas