The Gospel of the Big Blue Nation

Brothers and sisters, I write this to provide you comfort. Let not your heart be troubled. Let your soul find peace at this moment and going forward. And I hope these words find you well.

Allow me to explain that unlike most of you, I was not born into the Big Blue Faith.  I was born and raised in a land of darkness, for I was born and raised as a fan of the University of Louisville. In my youth, I cheered for the Cardinals. And yes, I rooted for them against the Wildcats. And one of the great memories of my younger life was staying up late to watch the Cardinals defeat the Duke University Blue Devils for the 1986 NCAA championship.

Nov 23, 2013; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Charlie Strong greets fans during the Card March before the start of game against the Memphis Tigers at Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Upon reflection, however, I can see that I always knew that something wasn’t right about birds with teeth. I could tell that there was emptiness in my soul that I yearned to be filled, yet had no way of knowing how to do it.
When I was but 17 years of age, I was accepted to continue my education at the University of Kentucky and it was at that point that my soul converted. While driving eastward on Interstate 64, I felt a feeling that I had never felt before.  It was if a weight of years and years of being in darkness was lifted off my shoulders. It was if, for the first time, I could see the sun in all it’s glory.

Brothers and sisters, I saw the Big Blue Light. And it was good.
I instantly repented for all the cheering I had done for the Cardinals. I apologized for all the heartache that I had wrought on Big Blue Nation, for the lies I believed, for the half-truths that I had spread. I asked for and received forgiveness for the error of my ways. To atone for my youthful indiscretions, like many others, I decided to live in the city of Louisville, county of Jefferson and preach to the heathens that have not yet seen the light as we have and are still shrouded in a world of darkness, not to my glory, but to the glory of Big Blue.

As I write these words to you, I understand that right now, evil seems to be winning the day. Right now, the darkness has spread across all corners of the land. From BCS bowl games, to the Women’s Final Four, to the College World Series and yes, even to a National Championship in Men’s Basketball.  But be ye not dismayed. For it was written: that a traitor shall leave the Big Blue Nation and join himself with the evil doers. For a time, they shall prosper. But be steadfast in your beliefs that the one true way, the one Blue way will once again rise up and turn back the evil ones, forcing them westward and rendering their accomplishes as passing as the blooms of the lilies of the field. For the time of the Cardinal is but a season, the time of the Wildcat is forever.

Apr 2, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats celebrate after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks 67-59 in the finals of the 2012 NCAA men

So it was with your grandfathers and fathers, so shall it be with your children and your children’s children. Go forth and proclaim to the believers and the nonbelievers the truth and goodness of the Big Blue Light.

Go Cats, beat the Dirty Birds. Amen.