CobraCommander wrote:th87 wrote:
Pretty spot on. Speaking for me, I hate Duke because:
1. Built-in recruiting advantages, tons of exposure, and favorable officiating. If they win, they're supposed to win, so why should there be so much celebration? It's like watching a teenager dunk on elementary school kids. It's not fun. It's punching downward.
But that's not enough, as other teams have this too (Kentucky, Alabama in football), but I don't hate them as much because they lack (to my eyes):
2. Historically douchebag-looking/acting players like Cherokee Parks, Battier, JJ Redick, Grayson Allen, etc. That escalates my mild annoyance at point 1 to a "general dislike" tier.
So built in advantages + douchebag players = general dislike. Other teams on this tier include the Lakers (Rick Fox, Horry, early Kobe) and Yankees (Damon, Jeter, Rivera).
But there is one more thing that propels Duke higher (lower?):
3. Their smug nerdy fanbase...the Cameron Crazies. Just ew. No other fanbase comes close to this level of bandwagon + not really basketball fans + obnoxious + goofy looking on a consistent basis.
I know I'm terrible. This isn't civil behavior. But I just can't help it.
As a person in the DMV/dc area where a ton of duke kids come from and other dukies come to for work and I have a connections to duke, I can tell people here love and hate them.
The funny thing is since Maryland university used to be in the acc and a “rival” of duke and North Carolina, we generally should hate all things blue...but alas Coach K and Duke and UNC are name brands that are as big as supreme used to be to hype beast...
so The bar I watched the game with 100+ fans was engaged and loving the game from start to finish...with women that couldn’t name a player but on either team and men that could quote every stat and everyone in between, we’re all in on the game and it made for a great time for all regardless of outcome.
Also it didn’t hurt that Keels and Jeremy Roach are local to the DMV and those kids/ young men are be- loved. They went to a local catholic school (PVI) but they both ball at gyms in the area with civilians. 24 hr fitness and lifetime etc....
Plus the best thing is...when they play pick up, they play against each other and pick randoms! Plus they call me and every other man sir at the gym, and are GREaT EXaMPLES (dare I say role models) to the local kids.
You have to admit, apart from Greysons weirdness ON the court, dukes top players are generally great guys even if you dislike them...it’s not cause they tyrek hill or Antonio brown...it’s because they Tebow or Russell Wilson...too good to be true nice guys...
Gonna suck that the rivalry is probably dead with coach k retiring. I don’t think duke is going to stay as relevant in basketball post coach K...dukes a really exclusive private school that aspires to be perceived as an IVY, but is playing ball at the high end public school level for 40 years... Minus coach K and his Nike and USA basketball relationship...and it’s literal proximity to UNC...I don’t see how they gonna recruit when Duke isn’t a cake walk for students...you better be one and done or you gotta actually GET a DUKE education...which is amazing but it ain’t gonna be easy...lol - I can see duke being a school with a lot of 1 and done hopefuls that are in the transfer portal as soon as they get hit with that year two school work lol
