Throughout Young Sheldon, some of the Coopers and the citizens of Medford are shown as Texans who dislike Oklahoma. Some might call this “hate,” but that’s a particularly strong word. Out of all the family members, both Mary and Meemaw don’t particularly care for their northern state neighbors much. In the finale episode, Mary is alright moving to Houston whereas back in an earlier season, she didn’t want the family to move to Oklahoma despite George getting a job offer for a coaching position with higher pay. There are some extenuating circumstances that need to be considered of course, but a part of the reason behind these two different situations is a general disdain between the two states. Here’s why people living in Texas don’t care for Oklahoma in Young Sheldon.
Why is Mary okay moving to Houston but not Oklahoma in Young Sheldon?
Mary is alright moving to Houston mainly due to most of her children having already moved away. But there’s an undercurrent of the Cooper family not particularly caring for Oklahoma too.
Some part of this comes from the older family members, especially when it comes to Meemaw, being proud to be Texans. In the ninth episode of season two, when George receives the aforementioned job offer from Tulsa, Meemaw states that Texans simply don’t like Oklahoma. When Sheldon says in a car ride that he doesn’t see a difference between Texas and Oklahoma, Meemaw tells him that this is “crazy talk.”
While the show doesn’t provide a particular reason for this state feud, but as explained by several Redditors, the two states have a fierce sports rivalry in college football. Known as the Red River Showdown or the Red River Shootout, it’s an annual match between the two college teams between the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns. The relationship is more like a sibling rivalry than anything else, and Texas is known for its state pride.
That said, by the time of the Young Sheldon finale, Mary realizes that her children are in different stages of their life. Missy is going to a new school, Georgie has a wife and child, and Sheldon is moving to college. Where moving to Oklahoma several years ago would have uprooted their lives, moving to Houston now would not be so much of a burden. At the end of the day, it’s a matter of timing.