Kentucky fans: cheering for Louisville?

The Game Room
1

This has been a big topic on sports radio here in Detroit, and I’m involved in an argument about it on Facebook.

I went to Western Michigan University, but I grew up as a fan of Michigan State University. I hate the University of Michigan.

There are a bunch of people who are normally MSU fans (even MSU alum) cheering for Michigan in tonight’s basketball game against Louisville. I am not one of them.

So, Kentucky fans: are you cheering for Louisville? I’ve heard that this is a line that is never, ever crossed: a UK fan will never cheer for L’vll, and a L’vll fan will never cheer for UK. Ever.

To me, cheering for U of M because they’re a B1G school would be like cheering for the Packers or Bears in football, or the Twins in baseball. It’s just wrong.

2

I doubt it. I have an aunt and cousin that went to UK. I and saw a friend of hers tease her on FB with a “Go Cards!” No response.

Not the same women, though from KY, not THAT inbred.

3

No, can’t do it. They root against us, we return the favor.

Plus, I have a lot of family in Michigan, so I’m rooting for them.

4

A Kentucky fan rooting for Louisville would be like a Seminole rooting for a Gator (or a Hurricane): not gonna happen.

5

The Louisville-Duke tournament game was a tough one, Duke is a much bigger threat as a (potential, someday) rival to Kentucky’s status as the greatest men’s college basketball program of all time, and is an uber-hatable program in general; but Louisville is Louisville. Ended up rooting for Duke, hateful as that was.

And Louisville has won. Enjoy it, Cards fans, and see you in the fall at Rupp for a reminder of the pecking order!

6

There are about 60 Browns living in KY that are UK fans, but one uncle of mine was a die-hard Cardinals fan. He died just before Easter. The color theme for his funeral was red and black because he was such a Cards fan, and we all wore the colors. After the funeral, while watching the NCAA games, I suggested the family throw their support behind Louisville in his memory.

They refused.

Some were emphatic, but even the ones that were sympathetic were like “It’s a nice thought, but I just… can’t. Not Louisville. Not even for my dad/brother/uncle. No.”

Makes me especially glad they won.

7

I could have told you that Louisville fans never cheer for Kentucky, and vice versa. Most of the time, fans will NEVER cheer for their arch-rivals.

But occasionally, you find that CONFERENCE loyalty overrides hatred for rivals. I find that football fans in the SEC generally WILL cheer for hated rivals in BCS bowl games, because it’s important to them that EVERYONE see how strong the SEC is.

During the regular season, Auburn and LSU fans loathe Alabama… but if Alabama is playing in the national title game againstUSC or Ohio State, those LSU and Auburn fans will almost unaimously cheer for the Tide. It’s more important to them that an SEC wins the championship than that their hated rivals lose.

8

I heard that from a bunch of people regarding cheering for a B1G school. I just can’t go down that road: I want Michigan to lose every game, every year, unless they’re playing Notre Dame. Then I want them to get into a 0-0 tie.

9

This is the proper way of the world.

And this is absolutely wrong.