All the build up to this game got me thinking. What does Louisville mean to me? We all know the rivalry and its key moments, but growing up in Eastern Kentucky it wasn't that big of a deal to most of us. Yeah we knew the Cardinals, we knew the city, so on and so forth. Truth of the matter is, I didn't REALLY care about this rivalry until I got to college at UK. Even then it took some time.
Growing up on the Ohio and West Virginia border meant that trips to Louisville were very rare. Why go? Cincinnati and Columbus were easier to get to and bigger. The only time we really went to Louisville was for KYA or Key Club events. The point- we had no reason to even care about them.
We all thought of Louisville as a separate entity that clashed with the very core of Kentucky. I am not saying that I don't enjoy big cities- I do! I've been to some of the worlds best. We just viewed Louisville as an outlier in our state. Because of our location so far east, I considered Louisville to be Western Kentucky. It was 3 plus hours away and culturally divided from us.
Once I got to UK I started to go to Louisville more. I enjoy the city of Louisville very much. Coming from a baseball family made me appreciate the Slugger Museum and its history in the sport that built my family. I appreciate the role the city played in Western Expansion. I LOVE the water front walking trails and the cleaned up downtown. It's a nice place to visit. It just doesn't feel "Kentucky".
So what of the school? I of course visited Louisville's campus when in high school along with all the other state schools. I had a very open mind. I knew that Louisville had a top tier Poli Sci program and offered many scholarships particularly to those from back home. I wanted to check it out. Upon arriving, I knew this place wasn't for me. The campus was atrocious. They were doing a lot of renovating and such, but the idea of an urban campus wasn't for me. It just didn't feel right.
The rest is history- I chose the school I was going to go to all along and had a great ride there. It was there that my hatred for the Cards began. Being at UK was awesome- minus the TERRIBLE basketball during my tenure. Every university has students that are fans of other schools. I would proudly rock Nebraska red during football season. Did I love the Cats football team? Of course, but family first! I would also notice a lot of other red walking around too. Ohio State scarlet was everywhere. That's ok though. When is the last time UK played OSU or Nebraska? Another shade of red caught my eye though...
CARDS
There was a significant population of Louisville fans at UK which always confused me. They would rock their gear even when we weren't playing. They were especially annoying when we did play them. Student tickets for solid blue fans were wasted on L fans. I always wanted to ask them why they just didn't go to Louisville. It would make sense right? If you are a fan of terrible Big East football and Cards basketball why come to UK? Seeing them and hearing them just infuriated me.
Over time you started to learn more about them and what they thought of the Kentucky fan base. They love to call us hillbillies, rednecks, inbred, degenerates, etc. I'm used to that. Anytime I say I'm from Ashland I get looked at as if I am those things. Comes with the turf. Louisville fans kick it into overdrive. I wish they could see their own fan base and the ridiculousness of it.
Let's use an analogy- Kentucky is Panem from The Hunger Games. Louisville is the "Capitol". They view the rest of the state as inferior to them. It's true though- when people think of Kentucky they think of Bourbon, KFC, and The Derby. Industries that are located in Louisville but forged throughout our state.
They love to point out that basketball is also synonymous with our state and take credit for that too. They must be thinking back to the old ABA days when the Kentucky Colonels played in Louisville. No offense to the sane Cardinal fans, but when people think about basketball in this state one team ALWAYS comes up and it's not the Cards.
It's nice to be passionate about your team. It's great to love your city. The way they do it is almost cult like though. The Big Blue Nation has its nuts too, but we don't claim to be better than what we are. Louisville is a nice city, but it's not New York. The way that they look down upon the rest of the state is why I can't stand them. We may be redneck and dumb but they parade around with a bird that has teeth and throw up the international symbol for being a loser. Let's embrace our faults and move on because we are all Kentuckians and we are all in this together.
Unless you want to leave the Commonwealth and join Indiana because we will totally help you move.
Prediction:
Kentucky 82 Louisville 68
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