Now this is an obsessive college basketball fan.
March 28, 2002 6:33 AM Subscribe
Now this is an obsessive college basketball fan. Are you ready for the Final Four? Do you obsess about your favorite college or pro team?
As a native Kansan who doesn't care much about basketball, this woman seems -- incredibly -- totally normal.
when i was in elementary school in suburban Kansas City, 10 year olds would literally get into fist fights all the time over whose colors they were wearing, based of course on their parents' allegiences. Within a couple hours drive was KU, KState (which was a contender in the 80s), and MU. And there were plenty of people working in the 'big city' from Oklahoma and Nebraska. It was a mess.
*sigh*
oh well, there's a pretty big tradition in kansas. The guy who invented the game was the Jayhawks' first coach.
posted by milkman at 7:12 AM on March 28, 2002
when i was in elementary school in suburban Kansas City, 10 year olds would literally get into fist fights all the time over whose colors they were wearing, based of course on their parents' allegiences. Within a couple hours drive was KU, KState (which was a contender in the 80s), and MU. And there were plenty of people working in the 'big city' from Oklahoma and Nebraska. It was a mess.
*sigh*
oh well, there's a pretty big tradition in kansas. The guy who invented the game was the Jayhawks' first coach.
posted by milkman at 7:12 AM on March 28, 2002
What a halfwit.
So desperate to be important in the world. So desperate to be a part of something bigger than themselves. So hyper-competitive. So superstitious.
So fucking Neanderthal.
posted by Irontom at 7:36 AM on March 28, 2002
So desperate to be important in the world. So desperate to be a part of something bigger than themselves. So hyper-competitive. So superstitious.
So fucking Neanderthal.
posted by Irontom at 7:36 AM on March 28, 2002
I know of people that have ritualistic behavior towards their teams. There's a relatively known actor in my hometown that never misses his favorite football (ok, soccer, if you insist) team's games.
He started adding things to the ritual. One day he had to park his car far from the stadium and walk 1 mile. His team won, now he always parks the car in the same spot. And he always uses the same underwear, which is kind of deteriorating itself (there is no elastic to hold it in place and stop it from getting into his butt). And one day he lost balance and ended up with a twisted feet, so he had to walk lumping to the stadium. So you get the picture: a guy that has to walk 1 mile lumping and holding his underwear in each and every game or else his team will loose.
When he told that in an interview, he was considering buying the pay-per-view games... True story.
posted by rexgregbr at 7:49 AM on March 28, 2002
He started adding things to the ritual. One day he had to park his car far from the stadium and walk 1 mile. His team won, now he always parks the car in the same spot. And he always uses the same underwear, which is kind of deteriorating itself (there is no elastic to hold it in place and stop it from getting into his butt). And one day he lost balance and ended up with a twisted feet, so he had to walk lumping to the stadium. So you get the picture: a guy that has to walk 1 mile lumping and holding his underwear in each and every game or else his team will loose.
When he told that in an interview, he was considering buying the pay-per-view games... True story.
posted by rexgregbr at 7:49 AM on March 28, 2002
i wish i could be so obsessive about my alma mater's team, but we are one of those schools that emphasizes academics first and, every now and then, gets a taste of a national tourney.
posted by moz at 8:16 AM on March 28, 2002
posted by moz at 8:16 AM on March 28, 2002
So fucking Neanderthal.
Exactly. Way to attempt to understand someone else's viewpoint. Why not ignore sports stories? Unless you were trying to point out that you're better than us knuckle-dragging sports fans. If that was your point, I thank you for deigning to come into my life for that bright, shining second..
The article reminds me of a story (fictional, obviously) someone wrote about guiding the Red Sox to the World Series through how he sat on the couch. Or floor. Or coffee table, if necessary. I still have my feet on the coffee table or off depending on whether the Sox are at bat or not.
posted by yerfatma at 8:39 AM on March 28, 2002
Exactly. Way to attempt to understand someone else's viewpoint. Why not ignore sports stories? Unless you were trying to point out that you're better than us knuckle-dragging sports fans. If that was your point, I thank you for deigning to come into my life for that bright, shining second..
The article reminds me of a story (fictional, obviously) someone wrote about guiding the Red Sox to the World Series through how he sat on the couch. Or floor. Or coffee table, if necessary. I still have my feet on the coffee table or off depending on whether the Sox are at bat or not.
posted by yerfatma at 8:39 AM on March 28, 2002
I was at KU when they won the championship, against Duke I think, circa 1993. I didn't watch the game, but I did attend the spontaneous party that took place on campus at about midnight, when the game ended. Several people whom I really disliked, and who really disliked me, went up and embraced me as kegs were unloaded from pickup trucks, monuments were climbed and decorated, etc.
It was fun, and it was nice to see so many people in such good spirits, but really, I couldn't have cared less who won the game, I wouldn't have known it was on if nobody had told me, and it didn't increase my interest in watching when the new season started.
I also remember a column for the KU paper written by a guy who was just astounded that not every respondent to a man-on-the-street interview had known the name of the coach, the assistant coach, the starting forward or whatever they call it, etc. He was actually angry about this...what kind of college students were these ignorant people? Didn't they have any awareness of what was going on in the world around them? I felt such a tremendous swelling hatred for that guy that I'm getting a bit emotional about it now as I type this.
posted by bingo at 12:37 PM on March 28, 2002
It was fun, and it was nice to see so many people in such good spirits, but really, I couldn't have cared less who won the game, I wouldn't have known it was on if nobody had told me, and it didn't increase my interest in watching when the new season started.
I also remember a column for the KU paper written by a guy who was just astounded that not every respondent to a man-on-the-street interview had known the name of the coach, the assistant coach, the starting forward or whatever they call it, etc. He was actually angry about this...what kind of college students were these ignorant people? Didn't they have any awareness of what was going on in the world around them? I felt such a tremendous swelling hatred for that guy that I'm getting a bit emotional about it now as I type this.
posted by bingo at 12:37 PM on March 28, 2002
It wasn't 93 I don't believe. Duke suffered a devastating loss to California in the second round game. Kansas must have smacked down someone else that year. :) Not my Blue Devils...
posted by gloege at 1:08 PM on March 28, 2002
posted by gloege at 1:08 PM on March 28, 2002
Bingo -- in 1993 KU made the final four, but lost before reaching the final game. In 1991, KU lost to Duke in the championship. The last time KU won the whole thing was in 1988 with Danny Manning.
posted by jameschandler at 1:23 PM on March 28, 2002
posted by jameschandler at 1:23 PM on March 28, 2002
I think it's fairly egotistical to think that some "ritual" that *YOU* perform is going to in some way affect the way your favorite team plays. What makes a single person's contribution so important? I'd like to think that it's more a crowd thing that affects how your team does. The fact that they have the support of so many people in your community rather than just you and your stinky socks. Being a Vancouver Canucks fan for the last few years, I remember when they handed out white towels to everyone in the arena and there was a sea of white and so much noise every time they scored a goal. It's stuff like that that I think really shows support for your favorite team.
posted by PWA_BadBoy at 1:24 PM on March 28, 2002
posted by PWA_BadBoy at 1:24 PM on March 28, 2002
Okay...well, you see how much attention I was paying to the season...
posted by bingo at 3:22 PM on March 28, 2002
posted by bingo at 3:22 PM on March 28, 2002
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posted by Jubey at 7:08 AM on March 28, 2002