I was having an interesting conversation with out fearless leader Paul Jordan this weekend. As we all know, Paul is a resident of the state of Florida. I asked Paul if he saw a lot of UK blue on the backs of people in his state. He answered without hesitation, “Yes, absolutely.”
That got me to thinking, I really don’t see Florida fans running around the state of Kentucky. I then asked him, “Do you see a lot of Louisville swag and apparel in you area?” Again, without hesitation, “I am not lying when I say this; I see no UofL shirts, hats or anything like that ever.”
Now, there are a lot of schools that claim the “Nation” tag for their teams. You know what I mean. Their team has fans spread out all over the country and you could see fans of said team in any state at any time and in relatively large groups.
So here are some college teams that claim they have a “Nation” of followers. Let’s see if it’s true. I didn’t use any special formulas for this. I did look at merchandising, players in the pros and overall popularity.
Big Blue Nation
First up, the Kentucky Wildcats. The fans of this team have bestowed the name “Big Blue Nation” upon themselves, but is it deserved? I would give a definite “Yes”. Kentucky basketball is known all across the country and throughout the world. I have traveled extensively around the USA and wherever I go I always have on my Blue. I constantly get stopped by random strangers that ask me about my clothing and every time they say, “You all always have a great basketball team,” or something to that effect. Once they know I am from Kentucky they always ask me about bourbon, the Derby and Wildcat basketball.
Our national and historic prominence in the game have elevated us to a level that only a few in basketball share: North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and UCLA. Everybody else is just looking up at the Greats. The number of players that Kentucky has put in the NBA, as well as the awesome celebrity that guys like John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins have recently brought us, have made the Big Blue Nation the talk of prominent NBA players such as LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzky, Tracy McGrady, among others.
I will end this section with one more little anecdote. A little old lady stopped me Saturday afternoon as I was out and about. I had on my UK shirt and hat. She gave me thumbs up and said, “My son is a huge Wildcat fan. He is in the army and is stationed in Germany. He wears his blue everywhere he goes and those Germans are always stopping him and saying ‘Go Cats’ and ‘Go Big Blue’. They know about us everywhere.” Damn Straight. Enough Said.
Card Nation
Yeah, I know what you are thinking. This cute little banner is pretty wimpy compared to that of a Kentucky, or a Duke, or a real powerhouse team. But the Cardinal fans insist that there is a “Card Nation” out there somewhere, despite actual evidence to the contrary.
You see, Louisville isn’t great at anything. They are OK at basketball and OK at football. If you have been to one Final Four in 20 years and haven’t even won a title since the Reagan Administration, then you need to rethink your claim.
Besides, Louisville isn’t even the most popular team in their own state. And depending on whose polls you look at, they aren’t even the most popular in their own city. How can you claim a nation fan base when you aren’t even the most popular team in your own STATE?
This doesn’t stop the Dirty Birds from claiming #Cardnation on Twitter or from making the ridiculous claim that they are The Best Sports Town in America. Delusion does not breed truth. In this case it just breeds stupidity.
Buckeye Nation
I can’t stand Ohio State, but I have to give it to them, they have fans everywhere you go. From NFL players claiming they play for THE Ohio State University on Sunday Night Football’s player profiles, to your casual bumper sticker, you cannot escape the Buckeyes.
Even their basketball team has a lot of followers. When I watched the Sweet 16 game between Kentucky and Ohio State in a bar in Louisville, there was a huge contingent of Buckeye fans in the bar. Of course this made the win all the more sweet as I rubbed the victory in their faces and asked them what happen to their boy Sully against Jorts.
The state of Ohio has a population of 11, 536, 504, which is plenty enough to claim Buckeye Nation.
Gator Nation
The team that should have a big national following that doesn’t are the Florida Gators. Considering the fact that they have won national championships in both football and basketball in the last decade should obviously put them over the top.
But the Gators are victims of their own state. Florida has the Gators, the Seminoles, the Hurricanes, the Knights and the Bulls, among others, that tear the state’s allegiance apart. The Gators may be nationally known but they don’t have that “Nation” foundation that they love to claim.
Again, when you share popularity in your state or you aren’t even the most popular, you can’t claim that you are the Nation.
Longhorn Nation
This is any easy one. Texas is another one of those programs where you can find fans in every state in the nation as well as around the world. If you have enough money to have your own network, you can call yourself the Nation. Despite the minimal success in basketball, and uneven success in football, Texas dominates it’s own state and carries that dominance nationally.
Others on the Nation List
Notre Dame, Michigan, North Carolina and Duke
Pretenders that claim it but don’t get it
Kansas, UCLA, USC, Clemson, UConn and Oklahoma
On the Fringe
Alabama, LSU, Oregon (recent push), Texas A&M and Auburn