Kentucky Basketball: Are Their Fans Really That Insane?

I once read a story about a Kentucky fan who took a leave of absence from work when Derek Anderson got injured, and I thought that was really funny (for the record UK was 15-2 at the time of the injury but still made it to the national finals where they lost to Arizona in 1997. With Anderson's 18 points per game it might have been a different story).

I have now come to learn that this was the tip of the iceberg. Kentucky fans are rabid. They are passionate. They feel for their team the same way a mother would for her child. The Billy Gillespie years must have been excruciating!

Today I read this story from Eamonn Brennan about UK fans lining up to race for tent spots so they can queue for a couple of days to buy tickets to Big Blue Madness event.

It's like the great land run of 1893 depicted in the 1992 Tom Cruise / Nicole Kidman film, Far Far Away, where immigrants raced to claim land.

This year Kentucky has what could possibly be one of the greatest teams to ever be assembled in college basketball so the enthusiasm is understood. Though this tent race thing is an annual business.

Brennan captures the typical UK fan with the following:

"

I love Kentucky fans. Seriously, I do! Sure, they write angry blog comments. Sure, they spam my inbox with assertions of "bias." Sure, they have a tendency to perceive imperceptible slights; even a piece that doesn't mention Kentucky can draw UK fans angry about the omission. But you take the good with the bad, you know? UK fans are rowdy, son. They get after it. They may not always be the most friendly folks on the Internet, but you could never question their utterly deranged dedication -- heck, downright obsession -- with their Wildcats. There's something weirdly admirable about that. Which is a nice little way of saying this: Kentucky fans are insane.

"

I agree with Brennan but I don't think it is weird. It's just admirable. Not many people would see the point in waiting two days for tickets for what is essentially an open practice but to each their own.

Duke fans have a similar tradition but they do this for an actual game. This is normally in the middle of winter for the North Carolina game. Not only could they lose to their arch rivals but they could also catch a cold.

On the other hand, Maryland fans riot when they win big games.