So I have a theory.
I believe that Duke University actually pays people to sit in the stands and cheer for them. Why, you ask?? Let me explain.
As I watched Satan's Team (the Blue Devils) play the Noble and Just Texas Longhorns in Round 2 of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, I noticed that there were more cheers for Duke than there were for Texas.
Now, that may seem normal considering Duke University is in Durham, North Carolina and this game was played in Greensboro, North Carolina. These two cities are not only in the same state, but they are only about an hour away from each other.
So one would believe that Duke would have more fans there to cheer their team on than Texas would, naturally. Where this becomes a bit of a mystery to me is when you consider the fact that...THERE ARE NO PEOPLE THAT ARE ACTUALLY FANS OF DUKE UNIVERSITY.
Think about it. If you were to go out there and ask 100 people what college basketball team they hate the most, 99 of them will say "Duke, duh" and the other one will say "Damn Duke." So 100 out of every 100 people in the country actually HATE the Duke University Blue Devils.
I have been a fan of sports my entire life. I don't LOVE college basketball as much as I used to, or as much as I enjoy other sports (football). The fouling at the end of the games has really taken away some of the luster of the sport, to me. However, I do still pay a good amount of attention to the game. With that said, in the 20 some odd years that I can REMEMBER being a fan of sports, I have never once met someone that actually liked Duke. Even when I used to go to the Carolinas every spring for vacation, I never met a single person that liked Duke.
So, knowing that I have never met anyone that likes Duke, and knowing that 100 out of 100 people out there HATE Duke, I can only begin to believe that the University uses some of it's nearly $5 billion endowment to pay people to be "fans" of the Blue Devils. These "fans" could be actors, homeless people, junkies, alcoholics, or insane people. Either way, I truly believe that this must be the case, as I find it possible to believe that there were enough real fans of Duke University at the game tonight to actually make enough noise for me to hear on the television.
1 comment:
Having gone to school in NC, I can shed some light on this. Duke students are notoriously loud, and creative. I seriously doubt how many Duke fans actually leave the state, so you probably will never find that many up there; EVER!
If you are the least bit interested, I found two references on the internet. The first one ( http://www.fortunecity.com/olympia/atlanta/776/fans.html ) gives a much better accounting of Duke fans and the how and whys.
The second I actually witnessed ( I was in NC at the time ) and I can still remember it as if it happened yesterday!
It's a blog trail but if you look at the second posting/reply, you should find an entry from SPOKE Manager and davekay1971...
Quote:
Originally Posted by davekay1971 View Post
Now for a stumble down memory lane... I'll try and cut and paste, but I am not sure how well it will carry over...
http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14163&page=2
Once when I was an undergrad (I think during the 89-90 season), Coach K chastised us for being too negative and vulgar, specifically with the bull**** chant. The next game we chanted "We beg to differ" when the refs blew a call. Classic moment in my Cameron memories.
Now there's a chant with some history. During my undergrad days (80'-84') we were similarly chastised for our rudeness. All undergrads received "an avuncular letter" from Terry Sanford (then university president) asking us to modify our behavior. At the next home game (UNC) a sign went up: "WE WELCOME OUR ESTEEMED GUESTS FROM CHAPEL HILL" and bad calls were met with "We beg to differ!" and "You are incorrect, Sir! You are incorrect!"
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