Big Blue Nation is just built different
When one Wildcat fan took a short-term job at the University of Louisville, they expected good-natured trash talk and basketball banter. Instead, they got silence. We sat down with them to unpack a story that says a lot about the difference between BBN and everyone else.
Q: You’ve worked all over the country. What makes assignments close to home special for you?
A: I’ve been fortunate to travel coast to coast—Rocky Mountains, national parks, both oceans—but nothing ever feels quite like Kentucky. These travel contracts usually run 10 to 13 weeks, and when I get the chance to take one near home, I jump on it. It’s not just about proximity. It’s about reconnecting with the state that raised me.
Q: So when a position at UofL came up, what went through your mind?
A: Honestly? Conflict. I’ve got a deep-seated distaste for the Louisville athletics department, like most Kentucky fans (laughs). But the job was a great opportunity, it let me stay close to home, and I figured it’d be fun to poke the bear a little while I was there. I imagined daily banter, friendly jabs, maybe even a Rick Pitino joke or two.
Q: And what did you get instead?
A: Crickets. Total silence. In my first week, I couldn’t find one person willing to talk sports. I’d bring up basketball or football and hear, “I don’t really follow it anymore,” or “I don’t watch sports.” No trash talk. No playful jabs about Kentucky football. Not even a smirk.
Q: That had to be surprising.
A: That’s putting it mildly. One coworker told me he stopped watching after the Pitino scandal—that it soured him on the program. He said life just got too busy. That was the longest sports conversation I had the whole week. I came in expecting rivalry. Instead, I got apathy. And weirdly enough, that stung worse than any insult could have.
Q: But you’ve said this isn’t meant to paint all Louisville fans the same way.
A: Not at all. I know UofL has a passionate fanbase—I spar with them online often enough. But here’s what stood out to me: the fandom I encountered in person didn’t cut across generations and backgrounds the way Big Blue Nation does. With UK, you’ll find someone’s grandma breaking down the pick-and-roll. At Louisville? It felt... disconnected.
Q: So what’s your takeaway after this contract?
A: BBN is just built different. Whether I’m on assignment in the mountains or walking into work at a rival school, I carry that with me. We don’t just follow the games—we live them. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.