The Week has a piece that outlines five theories why everyone seems to hate Duke.
1. Americans hate monopolies, and love underdogs: Think of Duke as Microsoft, says workplace psychologist Paul Damiano, as quoted in Newsweek. Duke’s basketball prowess, like Microsoft’s software near-monopoly, makes people mad. Americans love underdogs that fight for victory with few resources. Conversely, we hate dominant businesses and sports teams — the New York Yankees are a prime example — on the assumption they buy the best players, or get cushy treatment from the regulators (“aka the referees”). Case in point: Many writers have complained that Duke got easy opponents to help it go far in the tournament, because Blue Devil hatred translates into good TV ratings.
Sure…only Duke hasn’t been to the Final Four in six years. They are still a top 10 basketball program, certainly, but they aren’t the dominant program they were in years past. If that were the case, why doesn’t everyone hate North Carolina or Michigan State? And I don’t like the comparison to the New York Yankees. Duke can’t go around and buy up all the best free agents. If anything, Coach K is at a disadvantage due to Duke’s stringent admission standards.
2. The “Cameron Crazies”: No school has more infamous fans than Duke’s Cameron Crazies, says John Gasaway in Basketball Prospectus. And many Duke haters believe the rowdy — some would say obnoxious — student fans who cram into Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium for home games and relentlessly taunt opposing players give their team an unfair advantage. Or, as a student at nearby arch-rival University of Carolina put it: “When I see those Dookie boneheads shoe-polishing their faces navy blue on television, squandering their parents’ money with their fratty elitist bad sportsmanship antics and Saab stories, I want to puke all over Durham.”
Really, we’re going to ask a Tar Heel fan to comment about the Cameron Crazies? That’s like asking Sarah Palin to comment on Dennis Kucinich’s single-payer health care plan. I suspect even most Duke haters wish that their team had a home court advantage like Duke does. Unfair advantage? Give me a break.
3. Coach K: Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski inherited a team that was down on its luck 30 years ago, and rebuilt it into a dominant force in the basketball-addicted Atlantic Coast Conference. Duke haters find Krzyzewski “annoying and self-important,” and they love to mock his nasal twang. Coach K is a constant presence, says Monte Poole in the Oakland Tribune, and, depending on whether you’re a Duke supporter or a fan of another school, he’s “either your own personal god or he’s wearing horns and holding a pitchfork.”
I can absolutely understand not liking a certain coach’s style or demeanor. For example, K-State’s Frank Martin drives me nuts the way he stomps around on the sideline (often wandering onto the court during play) screaming at his players and staring down officials. But you have to give Coach K credit — he turned Duke into a top tier program and has never even had a sniff of any impropriety or recruiting violations. His teams are always at or near the top in terms of wins and graduation rates. That’s hard to do in such a cutthroat business. Plus, he wrangled 12 of the biggest egos on the planet and guided Team USA to a gold medal in Bejing. That has to be worth something, even to those that hate him.
4. “Elite” is a bad word: Duke is an elite school — expensive, with high academic standards, and a high graduation rate for its athletes. The pride Duke’s coaches, players, and fans take in the school’s academic reputation comes across to fans of rival programs as just another example of Duke’s arrogance. Duke is always included in lists of college athletic programs “capable of properly balancing academics and athletics,” says Ben Miller in The Quick and the Ed, and such talk makes its team stand out as a teacher’s pet in a basketball world full of huge state schools, some of which have trouble with low graduation rates.
I’ve been following Duke basketball since the (playing) days of Johnny Dawkins and I don’t once remember a Duke player talking about how high the school’s academic standards are. Besides, does anyone hate the basketball teams from Stanford, Cal or any of the Ivy League schools because they’re difficult schools to get into? Now, it’s understandable if people dislike the Duke student body because they’re a bunch of spoiled white kids, but the Duke basketball team doesn’t have anything to do with that.
That said, I fully admit that there was an era — let’s call it the…um…Christian Laettner era — where there was a certain air of elitism emanated by a few players on the team. This era’s namesake along with (maybe) Bobby Hurley ruffled more than a few feathers in their day. But since then — can anyone really accuse Grant Hill, Elton Brand, Shane Battier, Jason Williams, Carlos Boozer, Shelden Williams, Mike Dunleavy, Luol Deng, Corey Maggette, Dahntay Jones, Gerald Henderson, Jon Scheyer or Kyle Singler of being elitist on the court?
Oops, I forgot about J.J. Redick. Still, there was a long gap there…
5. It’s about money: Duke hatred is class warfare, says Al Lee in Payscale.com. Of all the teams in the NCAA tournament this year, Duke ranks No. 1 in alumni wages, with the average ex-Dukie making $104,000 a year. Thats nearly $30,000 more than alums make at the top seeds in the other regions in the tournament, and it’s more than twice the figures for the tournament schools at the low end of the pay scale.
Well, I doubt very many Duke haters out there can quote any alumni wages, but maybe I’m wrong.
In the end, I think it’s a combination of all of these factors. Duke is a top tier program (monopoly), with an extremely spirited yet bratty student body (Crazies), that has remained squeaky clean (Coach K) and has an air of superiority (elitism) that surrounds them. Or at least that elitism is perceived to be there…by people who hate the program. It’s a vicious cycle, I say.
I don’t care. I like the Blue Devils. Coach K always has good teams that play good defense and take care of the ball. The Cameron Crazies are just icing on the cake.
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Hi Paul,
I am a Duke fan myself, being the boyfriend of a Duke alumna. But to say that Duke has never had a whiff of violations overlooks the fact that Corey Maggette admitted to receiving money while playing AAU ball. The fact that Duke never received a sanction over this, while schools like Memphis lose banners over similar violations, contributes to the belief by many that Duke gets special treatment.
And Duke’s fans and students are elitist–they (allegedly) invented the taunt “That’s Alright, That’s Okay, You’re Going to Work for Us Someday”, and my gf even has a shirt she purchased from the Duke store on campus that reads “We’re not Snobs, We’re Just Better Than You”.
The ironic thing, though, is that UNC is *also* elitist. Many Tar Heels come from money, and the way they taunt NC State is worse than anything the Crazies say to them.
The author’s name is John Paulsen, James.
You crazy Duke fan, you.
Hey Anthony,
we Duke fans are too important to know people’s names 😉
And speaking of names, Antwan, your momma can’t spell (another favorite Duke cheer) 😀
My mother is a saint, James – a saint!
The core of most Duke hate comes from the anti-intellectualism that’s been eating away at American society for the past few decades. In the era of reality TV & George Dubya Bush, that fancy book learnistupidity & lack of any discernible talent are rewarded with celebrity, Duke will always be hated.n’ is looked down on. Throw in the word “elite” & you’re just begging for the ire of the braindead masses.
As long as
… As long as stupidity & a lack of any discernible talent are rewarded with fame & celebrity in this country, Duke will always be hated.
Comment box chewed up my comment…
The core of most Duke hate comes from the anti-intellectualism that’s been eating away at American society for the past few decades. In the era of reality TV & George Dubya Bush, that fancy book learnin’ is looked down on. Throw in the word “elite” & you’re just begging for the ire of the braindead masses.
I actually hadn’t heard about the Maggette case, but reading about it, it looks like he took money ($2000) before enrolling at Duke, while players like Marcus Camby (UMass) and Jevon Crudup (Mizzou) took money while they were in college. Duke had nothing to do with the transaction.
You brought up Memphis as a “similar” violation, but Derrick Rose’s SAT scandal directly related to his enrollment in college. Without that SAT score, he couldn’t have enrolled. I suspect most people would view that versus a player taking $2K from his AAU coach as two very different things. At what point is the line truly crossed?
Anyway, this scandal isn’t so much an indictment of Duke as it is the NCAA potentially playing favorites with one of its pristine programs. Duke wasn’t involved in any way with the transaction and didn’t even know about it until Myron Piggie was caught, so it’s not like Coach K was handing manila envelopes filled with cash to his recruits.
Article missed some pretty obvious reasons.
1. Overexposure from the national media, particularly from one Richard Vitale. Vitale brings up Duke during every single game he calls, whether Duke is actually playing in that game or not.
2. Duke took flopping in college basketball to a whole new level.
3. K works the refs from start to finish in every game, which combined with the public perception that Duke gets calls to begin with doesn’t exactly up their popularity.
4. There is always a backlash against teams that are perceived to have a bandwagon following. Duke is a small, extremely expensive school. The overwhelming majority of Duke fans did not go to Duke.
@ snd_dsgnr
Yes, hating Duke because Dick Vitale mentions them is certainly an excellent excuse… I mean reason.
Duke is definetly the only team that has ever & will ever flop.
You’re right… Coach K is the only coach to work the refs. Valid point.
Also, every UNC fan went to UNC (same goes for every other school & their respective fans). Another great point.
Maybe if people spent less time coming up with excuses to hate Duke, they’d have more time to spend enjoying their favorite teams & the game of basketball in general.
You’re right, all of those are things I just made up. Clearly people hate Duke because of “anti-intellectualism”.
Quick question, have you ever actually been to Durham?
I used to hate Duke.But, after beating UNLV some years ago = they won me over. Now I admire them.I have been to Cameron and they get some calls – but I’ve been to the Dean Dome and they certainly do also.
Coach K is the best ever … sorry Coach Wooden. You didn’t have the compition K has to deal with.It’s a school that hardly ever has the best team or atheletes. They just listen to their Coach – and they produce wins.One thing you can’t deny Duke Haters. “K” gets them to play hard – EVERY PLAY. They are rarely the best team.They just win 25-30 games every year. Their kids are smarter and they are in a great system. A winning system.
Well Duke Blue Devil fans should be real happy,
now that Kentucky has lost to WVU. If Duke doesnt win the national championship i’ll be really surprised. Just about all the good teams
are no longer in the tournament, not to mention
that Duke has had the easiest path to the final
four. Not an insult, just a FACT. and let us not
forget that the ACC had a down year, and after
getting whipped up on by UNC the last four years,
Duke finally was able to actually sweep the
rebuilding Tarheels. Why do so many hate duke.
Its simple, Duke is the rich mamas boy school,
where the students who go there have never had
to work for anything,their parents are rich, lots
of lawyers and doctors, the students at Duke are
mostly snobbish, obnoxious,very arrogant, they
are not afraid to say they are better than the
average person. They dont know much about
real hard work, living from paycheck to paycheck,
and they dont care either, they party with little
worry about their future. Bunch of arrogant spoiled rotten asswipes. again not an insult
JUST A FACT. P.S. DUKE SUCKS!!!!
Now go and win that national championship ok
No UConn,no Kentucky,no Kansas,no Villanova,
no Syracuse,no UNC, to worry about. with teams
like Butler and WVU left hahahaha what a joke,
Duke should win it all. that will make all the
mamas boys jump for joy.
@ snd_dsgnr
I never said you made those excuses up. I was insinuating that you can apply them to just about every elite college team ever.
And our good friend above just reinforced my point about anti-intellectualism. Thanks, Matt.
And yes, I’ve been to Durham. I live in Raleigh. My dad used to take me to games at Cameron Indoor (& Wallace Wade) when I was a kid. Not that it even matters. Bandwagon following is only a legitimate excuse if fans jump off that bandwagon when a team isn’t doing so hot. I think it’s pretty safe to say that Duke fans are Duke fans rain or shine. There’s too much Duke hate for fair weather fans.
So you live in the triangle, and your proposal is that the average Duke fan is more intellectual than the average UNC or NCSU fan? That is what is insinuated when you suggest that Duke hate is rooted in anti-intellectualism, no?
You can apply the reasons I listed to most elite programs, but not to the same degree. Duke didn’t earn their reputation as the nation’s premier floppers because college ball fans randomly decided to award them that title.
UNC has plenty of fans that didn’t attend the school, but UNC has 4-5 times the student population, is less than half the cost of Duke, and is the oldest public university in the country. A significant percentage of people who’s families have lived in NC for any extended time have family ties to the university. That’s just not the case for Duke.
There’s also the inherent tension caused by a mostly white, very expensive university that takes mostly out of state kids sitting in the middle of an overwhelmingly black and lower middle class town. What happened to the Duke lacrosse players was a serious injustice, but the racial tensions that incident exposed weren’t exactly born overnight.
On the notion that it’s safe to say that Duke fans are Duke fans rain or shine, how on earth would you know that? They’ve had one year where they didn’t make the tournament since the mid-80’s. What history of sticking with the team through rainy days is there? What proportion of Duke fans would have identified themselves as such before K’s arrival in Durham?
What it comes down to is that casting off the hate as “anti-intellectualism” is not only a cheap excuse, but an incredibly arrogant one.
A lot of people hate Kentucky too. I wonder why…
snd_dsgnr — I can’t speak for Blue Blood, but “anti-intellectualism” could definitely contribute towards the hatred towards the team which serves as a placeholder for the student body. In the triangle you talked about, the average intellect of the student body is probably higher at Duke than at UNC or NC State. That’s not to say there aren’t very smart people at both state schools, but the average is probably higher at Duke. That’s the whole point of admission standards.
Though this may not be the biggest factor, I think “anti-intellectualism” contributes towards that hatred aimed at the basketball program. That’s obviously not true for everyone, but certainly for some people.
As for general fans, I suspect those of us that gravitate towards the program like smart basketball. Does that make Duke fans smarter? Not necessarily, but it does make them fans of smart basketball.
The Triangle is Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Yes, the average intelligence of Duke students is certainly higher than the average intelligence of UNC and NCSU students. However, since as mentioned earlier the majority of Duke fans are not Duke students, that misses the point.
I’ve lived in the area for the entirety of my 27 years, and I promise you the average Duke fan is no more intelligent than the average fan of any other team.
If anti-intellectualism is the problem, then why was it that every neutral fan was cheering for Cornell against Kentucky? Why isn’t there a similar animosity against UCLA, which is actually ranked above Duke on some rankings?
Hell, for that matter how do you justify casting UNC-Duke as an intellectual matter when UNC is consistently ranked at worst in the 30’s among national universities? This isn’t UCLA-USC we’re talking about here.
You’re missing my point. I didn’t say anti-intellectualism was the only reason that people hate Duke, but that it does contribute to people hating the team as a placeholder for the Duke student body, who they deem to be bratty or spoiled or whatever.
I don’t know if the average Duke fan is any smarter than the average fan for any other team, but whether or not they went to Duke has nothing to do with it. I think that smart people are generally drawn to smart basketball.
Cornell is a completely different situation. They’re an Ivy League school that doesn’t even give scholarships and they were playing Calipari and his band of one-and-done mercenaries. Plus, they were the underdog, while Duke is favored in just about every game they play. As for UCLA, they are a big public school, and they stunk this year.
So your argument is that anti-intellectualism doesn’t contribute AT ALL to the hatred towards Duke?
The reputation Duke students have for being bratty and spoiled absolutely does play into this, but those aren’t what I’d call intellectual qualities. Plays much more into the “elitism” that was talked about in the article.
Whether or not they went to Duke has quite a bit to do with it. Most fans who take sports seriously look down on people they consider bandwagoners. It’s why Yankees fans who aren’t from the New York area take a lot of crap. It’s why people got on Lebron James a year or two ago. Same deal here, people see a fanbase that predominantly has no actual ties to the school. Whether that’s fair or not is another matter, but that absolutely does happen.
UCLA stunk this year, but they were in three straight Final Fours just a couple years ago. The hatred for UCLA wasn’t close to what there is out there for Duke. The big public school part again would be a component if we were talking about elitism, but not when the discussion is anti-intellectualism.
I think it plays a miniscule role, if indeed it plays a role at all. People can get antagonistic towards intellectuals, but for the most part that only happens when the difference in knowledge is evident. That isn’t the case when watching a basketball game. It isn’t as if Duke students are working calculus problems for the cameras at Cameron.
Besides, how do you then account for the fact that some of the highest basketball IQ guys Duke has had over the years have also been some of the least hated? Grant Hill was never as hated as Christian Laettner. Jason Williams was never as hated as JJ Redick.
Well, Hill & Williams versus Laettner & Redick might very well be a race issue. But that’s another story.
The problem with drawing a thick line between elitism and intellectualism is that the two are typically joined at the hip. The best schools typically get the smartest kids and whether or not their elitist, those on the outside are going to view them as such.
The issue with Duke is that their school pride makes them look snobby. Sure, there are snobs that go there (yes, I’ve been to Durham) but fan bases for virtually every program in the country think that their program/school is better than their rival’s. Ivy League grads are typically viewed as snobby — fair or not — in the area of academics, but they suck in sports, so when they have success, neutrals usually root for them.
As for UCLA, with USC right down the road, they may be the most intellectual school in the town, but they aren’t the most elite. UCLA was good for a while, but they haven’t had the same kind of sustained success as Duke has. Or the villainous players, or the villainous coach, or the villainous students — plus, teams on the West Coast just don’t get the attention as Duke does.
When looking at Duke, I think there are a number of factors that contribute — it’s almost the perfect storm of hatred: sustained success, private school, “snobby” and smart student body, plenty of national attention, Coach K, etc.
I’m just telling you that from having grown up in Durham that the resentment against Duke students has always had much more to do with attitude than aptitude. Or with perceived attitude more than aptitude, if you prefer.
I get that elitism and intellectualism tend to go hand in hand, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone who is sensitive about the one is also sensitive about the other. I’m a reasonablly intelligent guy myself, and in my experience people don’t get upset with you for being smarter than them, they get angry if you try to rub it in their face. I just don’t see how it would rubbed in during a basketball game.
I don’t necessarily disagree with your list of reasons there at the end, my contention is more that out of that list the “smart student body” part is by far the least important.
That Yankee’s comparison is so paper thin. You’re acting as if Duke has some sort of massive fanbase outside of Durham. How often do you see Duke Blue jerseys & hats outside of the Triangle? The second they step off of Coach K Court they are universally hated. On neutral courts people not affiliated with Duke’s opponent will buy tickets just to boo the Blue Devils. Can you even say that about any other team?
Duke doesn’t flop, work refs, or get calls anymore than any other elite team. Once you negate those excuses, all you got left is hating the smart guys.
You’re delusional if you honestly believe anti-intellectualism isn’t at the core of every bit of hate for Duke. Just look at the comments here that weren’t posted by me, you, or Paulsen.
You are literally the only Duke hater I’ve ever encountered with well thought out reasons & presented them in a civil manner. For 26 years all I’ve ever heard was “DUKE SUCKS,” “Coach K looks like a rat,” “Duke players/students/fans are a bunch of rich spoiled nerds,” etc.
You cannot deny that if Duke were a public university with low admission standards, they’d get none of the widespread hate they endure now.
I’m not saying anti-intellectualism is a good reason to hate Duke, but in 99% of the case, it is the only reason people hate Duke.
Many hate Duke because Duke epitomizes (white) privilege. The media (Dick V. and most of the talking heads at ESPN have a constant hard-on for the Blue Devils) is noticeably biased towards Duke quite likely because of what Duke represents.
This hatred has nothing to do with anti-intellectualism. I have no respect for people who embody arrogance and flaunt their privilege.
True intellectuals have no use for a superiority complex.
Yes, cause all you ever see Duke players do is flaunt their (white) privilege. That Jon Scheyer is always running his mouth off about being white & rich… he just doesn’t shut up about. Nolan Smith too. *rolls eyes*
The only complex here is your inferiority complex.
I do agree that the media DID have something of a hard-on for Duke, but the backlash has been effective and pundits are typically restrictive and careful in their praise these days.
Besides, what’s not to like? Arguably the most consistent program in basketball, they play smart and hard every game, and aside from the Maggette thing, which had absolutely nothing to do with the program, there isn’t even a hint of scandal. Doesn’t a great program deserve praise? I seem to remember UNC getting a TON of love last season when they had a very good team. Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson, anyone?
I think the whole arrogant thing is going a tad
to far, I mean any college/university in the country has students who act arrogant, but alot of that is youthful pride, something we all have or had in our lives. The Hate for Duke is simple they are well known in academics and of course in basketball. They prde themselves on being the best. But also in trying their best in whatever they put their minds to. Being a fan and graduate of UNC Chapel Hill I can say we at UNC strive to be the BEST in academics and basketball etc as well. I know all about the hate for Duke in sports, and most of it is in good clean fun. UNC and Duke both aspire to be the BEST. Thats why we
love to compete against each other. Thats why we love to hate each other. UNC vs Duke is the best rivalry in college basketball. Duke is in the Final Four they deserve all the praise from the sports media they get. Last year UNC Tarheels received a ton of sports media and they deserved it. So here’s to the Blue Devils, as a Tarheel you are my rival, and we will meet you again (God willing) till then good luck in the Final Four.
As our esteemed Vice President would say, “there’s 2 words why Duke is hated, Christian f*ckin Laettner”.
Well said Paulsen & Phil. And Duke/UNC isn’t just the best rivalry in college basketball, it’s the best rivalry in sports, period.
You got a point there, CITYCAT. Laettner was one cocky SOB, but you can’t say that about any other Blue Devil… unless you’re mistaking confidence for cockiness.
all white?
That’s news to Smith, Thomas, & Dawkins.
Wow Duke is playing Butler for the
National Championship. Gee just wonder
if Duke will win. This NCAA tournament
was one easy ride for Duke. Honestly
Duke hasn’t played any great teams,
cmon anyone can see West Virginia,
Baylor, Purdue and now Butler?? are
no match for Duke. Yeah these teams
are good but no serious threat to Duke.
Seriously BUTLER?? TOTALLY WEAK.
Such an easy path to a national Championship
yet another reason to hate Duke.
It’s funny how people talk about Duke’s “easy” road, yet Baylor is a top 12 team, WVU beat Kentucky and won the Big East tournament and Butler beat K-State and Syracuse. If Duke wins on Monday night they did everything they needed to do to win a title. But it’s no guarantee they’ll win. Butler is a very good team despite Shawn’s prejudice against mid-majors.
I think the best thing for all us Duke haters
is to not even watch the Duke vs Butler game.
We all know just like all the Duke fans know that
Butler is not going to win the game. Despite some
Duke fans saying how good Butler is, even coach
K speaking of how Butler earned it, yeah Butler
has beaten some good teams,but with alot of luck.
Its so obvious Coach K is happy as hell they are
playing Butler, instead of Kansas or Syracuse.
Coach K knows Duke is to good for Butler and so
do all the Duke fans. Duke fans dont want to
admit that Duke had a very easy road to the
national championship. All non Duke fans lets
not even watch the game. BOYCOTT. Duke fans
enjoy your cupcake road championship.
Paper Champs of 2010 = Duke
Yes, if Duke wins on Monday night, they will be paper champs… because unlike the other #1’s, they survived.
How dare Duke allow Kansas, Kentucky, & Syracuse to fall to #9, #2, & #5 seeds! How dare Duke beat everyone in their path (including the aforementioned #2 & #5 seeds)!
This message brought to you by LEAD PAINT CHIPS: The preferred breakfast cereal of brain dead mouth breathers Shawn & Chad!
Luck? Examples, Chad. How did Butler beat Syracuse and K-State with “alot of luck.” BTW, “alot” is not a word.
BOYCOTT!!!!! the Duke/Butler game great idea.
most people dont want to see Duke with their
“better than you” attitudes win it all.
I’ve lived around Durham my whole life and its
easy to see why so many people hate Duke.
Most of Dukes students are assholes, they are
arrogant and yes they like to let their mouths
overload their asses. Most of the Duke students
are wussies , they talk the trash, but most will
shy away from backing up their words. They will
talk loud, they walk proud, when it comes to a
confrontation, they walk away with their tails
between their legs. Duke=Mamas boy University
Lest anyone think that the anti-Duke sentiment is THIS strong, Matt, Brad, Phil, Shawn, Chad and Scott all have the same IP address. It’s one guy, and he’s a hater.
I don’t think anyone on this Duke team has a “better than you” attitude and if they do, it comes with the territory. Mateen Cleaves was on the pregame giving a speech to the MSU players and he was saying that you have to have a “better than you” sense about you. “I’m better than you when I go to bed and I’m better than you when I get up in the morning,” he said. “It’s not cockiness,” he continued, “it’s confidence.”
There are no Christian Laettners on this team.
Hahahahaha… the same IP address. Good catch, Paulsen! I think it’s time for the asylum to cut off internet access for it’s resident Duke hater.
Blue Blood – I read this entire thread – you’re awesome – Go Duke!
i mostly hate dook because of coach k. no one can pronounce his name!
@ Angela
Really?! Krzyzewski is pronounced “shah-SHEF-skee.”
Thanks, Doug! Let’s go Devils! *clap clap clap clap clap*
Why do I dislike Duke?
Because Krzyzewski sells the “poor me” act and the media eat it up. He tells ESPN that “We have to do without that support” that state schools get because Duke is a private school and “not a state.” This, despite the fact that Duke has the highest operating budget (13.5 million dollars) in all of college basketball.
Because people believe the poor me Duke story and write things like, “It’s a school that hardly ever has the best team or athletes . . . They are rarely the best team.” . . . even though Duke is loaded with McDonald’s All-Americans every year (6 currently on the team and others were nominees).
Because people say that Duke has these higher standards, but I’ve never seen anyone substantiate it. What is the cutoff for basketball players at Duke? 29 on the ACT? 24? 19? A few years back, there was lots of coverage about how Duke lowered it’s academic standards for heirs and heiresses of family fortunes in return for their parents raising money for the school. Miami is a private school, but I never hear anyone mentioned how tough it is for the U to recruit players because of their tough standards. Does anyone know if Miami has tougher standards than Florida or Florida State?
Because others say that people hate Duke because of “anti-intellectualism” when on the court, two higher education institutions do battle during every game. Is the other team from a semi-pro league?
Just a few reasons. Congratulations Goliath, you beat David.
I’m just curious, why is my last post not up?
Yeah, I didn’t think you’d have an answer to any of those points. Enjoy the championship!
Everyone hates a winner. Everyone roots for the underdog. Everyone hates to lose and that is what happens when you play duke. People want to say Duke got an easy road to the championship. Everyone says Duke would have lost if they faced Kentucky. Duke beat the team that beat Kentucky. Enough said.
dooquies like to tell themselves that dooque hatred can be explained by some virtue of dooque’s (they win, it’s a good school, etc.), or some vice on the part of those who dislike them (envy, etc.). Fact is, dooque is an inherently annoying program. K is not a nice fellow, the Cameron fans are the most irritating fans in hoops (with their coordinated
Yes people love to hate duke,
its fun to rag on them especially when they lose
and No 4 duke just lost to No 13 UNC tonight
81-67. GO HEELS!!
UNC 2011 ACC Regular Season CHAMPIONS!!!!
I hate Duke for several reason.
1. Statement Krzyzewski made calling the UNLV players “thugs” and that they shouldn’t be in the tournament.
2. Christian Laettner stomping a player in the chest and not getting thrown out of the game which allowed him to be available to hit the winning shot of that game.
2. Krzyzewski gets on the rules committee to get rule changes that are favorable to Duke.
3. Krzyzewski’s constant complaining to the refs during a game to get calls going his way.
For all those people complaining about Jalen Rose’s statement about the type of black players recruited by Duke, Jalen said it was how he felt as a 18-19 year old, he did not say that is how he feels today.
@Coachbb94 — Do you have a link for #1? Because I’ve never seen a quote to that effect.
Laettner’s stomp was bad. Agreed.
Coach K complains no more than any other coach out there. Every coach works the ref for calls.
I can’t speak to the rules committee — did you have a specific rule in mind as an example?
In the documentary (of which Rose was an executive producer, so he had some control over the message), he didn’t say that he didn’t feel that way anymore. The only statement that he back off of was the “Laettner was overrated” comment. Otherwise, his comments stood.
I go to Duke; I’m a current student, so I can clarify the perspective of Crazies. I actually Googled ‘why do people hate Duke’ to find this thread. Anyway, I don’t really believe people hate Duke because of K; I’m sure most students would love if he coached their basketball teams to play smart, defensive basketball. I do think the student body has something to do with it, however.
Understand Duke students. Many have a very sheltered, narrow perspective of life at the result of how they were raised by their hedge fund president father and orthopedic surgeon mother. It’s how they were raised, it’s not necessarily their fault. They’re good kids. Many did not have a lot of confidence in high school because most were bookworms and not superb athletes. Thus, their hard work paid off with their acceptance. It’s also a lot of fun to go to these basketball games and cheer your brains out after a long, demanding week in the classroom. It’s the only real outlet for fun that doesnt involve partying – something a lot of Duke kids don’t do because they don’t want their grades to suffer (most hardcore crazies are actually pre-meds or engineers). It’s valiant that they want to work hard in the classroom for their future. The arrogance is a result of nurture, not nature. Most of it is unintentional. I’m from a middle class area of Chicago, seen both the rich and impoverished. The rich tend to flaunt what they have, and the poor tend to blame others’ for their misgivings; Duke students represent all those colors of life, yet most are pretty humble and down to Earth. The arrogance will be seen at any school (if you’ve been to Harvard, it’s even worse), these students are just faulted more due to the limelight.
I am a “Big Blue” fan from Kentucky and I do not like Duke ,except when they lose,however I do like coach “k”. I believe he is a class act and a great coach and ambassador for the game and the university
America hates success these days. If you earned it you are BAD. That is what our president is teaching the nation. All those Obama parrots are listening and repeating. If you EARNED success you must be BAD.
We will soon be Greece and then no one will care about Duke or any other team.