University of Kentucky: Big Blue Nation, One Size Fits All?
By Terry Brown
I learned a lot during this past basketball season.
I learned that Tom Crean and his Indiana Hoosiers will celebrate every. Single. Thing.
I learned that no matter how talented their team is, fans of the University of Louisville love to play the role of lovable underdog (Newsflash: The Cards were the number one overall seed and the most profitable basketball team in the country. Their title really should be all that surprising).
And some things I knew were just underscored: Bill Self’s teams win in spite of him. The SEC needs UK to be good. Zone defenses are a sign of weakness. And the designers at adidas haven’t a clue what they’re doing.
March 2, 2013; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reacts to a play during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas defeated Kentucky 73-60. Mandatory Credit: Beth Hall-USA TODAY Sports
The biggest lesson from this past season, however, are that there are rules that govern the Big Blue Nation. Once it becameapparent that 2013 Wildcats weren’t going to be as good as the 2012 edition or the 2011 and 2010 editions, a percentage of fans do what groups of people have done for eons when times get tough: they turned on each other. It wasn’t enough to voice displeasure at the team’s play or support head coach John Calipari and the players, people had to go out of their way to tell you why they believed the way they did, people had to tell you, unequivocally, why they were right and you were wrong.
It’s not surprising, as the level of discourse about everything in this country is drawn in stark black and white color, when, we all know that the world sits squarely in that ill-defined gray area. There’s no one size fits all that fits any particular group, especially the Big Blue Nation. We’ve all come from different places to support the Wildcats and there shouldn’t be some litmus test to pass to join the BBN or voice your personal opinion about any of the teams. Yet, there are plenty of unwritten rules.
To some, if you weren’t born and raised Blue and attended the University of Kentucky, you’re not a real fan. To others, if you criticize any of the coaches or players, you’re not a real fan. Did you wish the Cardinals well in the wake of Kevin Ware’s horrific injury? Sorry, you’re not a real fan. At some point, we’re going to have to write all these rules down on stone tablets so that everyone knows the rules and can act accordingly.
The point is, we can all come together and support the Cats, yet still have different ways that we express that support. Should there be a minimum number of T-shirts a fan should own? Is being a real fan reserved for season ticket holders? Should you only be considered a real fan if you’ve graduated from the University of Kentucky? No, of course not.
It’s time that the Big Blue Nation stop and remembers what made the 2012, 1998 and 1996 teams so special. Yes, they won championships, but they also were great teams. They put their smaller differences aside for the greater good. I think it’s time that some members of the Big Blue Nation do the same.