As the Joy of Kentucky Basketball Starts, Let’s not Forget the Football Team

Apr 2, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reacts as he watches the video board after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks 65-59 in the finals in the 2012 NCAA men

It’s hard for Big Blue Nation to shake the stigma of a basketball first fanbase when the football season has been so bad. I try my best not to be that type of fan. I watch every football game, I cheer loudly and proudly for my team, I defend the players and the coaching staff as much as I possibly can, and I write about them to the best of my abilities.

But it’s been really, really difficult this season. I know a lot of it is not Joker Phillips’ fault as the team is experiencing injuries on an epidemic like scale. But nothing can change the fact that Kentucky lost to Western Kentucky at home with a relatively healthy team.

So, with heads hanging, we turn our thoughts towards basketball. Kentucky kicks off the hoops season this Friday as Big Blue Madness will grab our collective attention. The spectacle will feature our team on the court as a unit for the fans to see for the first time. They will get their rockstar introductions and John Calipari will deliver a fiery speech that will get the fans pumped up for the season.

And it couldn’t come soon enough for many of us.

I’m still not giving up on the football team though. They still may pull out a surprising win or two before the season is over. This is a team littered with freshmen. So is our basketball team, but the learning curve between basketball and football cannot even be compared.

So let’s not forget these players that have been working so hard all season long. Let’s not abandon them. There is room enough to devote our time and energy to both sports. Even though one is not as high profile as the other, they still deserve our passion and devotion.