Frank Deford on Duke Hate

[Olympic Fan]

Frank Deford on NPR about why Americans hate certain teams, including Duke. It ran on June 1, but I just saw it (I don't think it was posted here):

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/01/136818...stand-the-heat

The relevant passage:

"A lot of America did used to be constitutionally opposed to Notre Dame football, but now the Irish don't win enough to earn sufficient revulsion. Instead, now the one college team that America loves to boo is Duke basketball, because it's a hoity-toity private school and the players are supposed to be smart. So we have a situation where Duke is reviled by fans for being bright and honorable, while the national champions from the University of Connecticut, who have been punished for a recruiting violation and who put up one of the worst academic records in the nation — failing the NCAA minimum grade standard — are held in high esteem. This sort of attitude about college student athletics helps explain why the U.S. now ranks educationally down around Lower Slobenia."

[DevilWearsPrada]

Frank Deford on NPR about why Americans hate certain teams, including Duke. It ran on June 1, but I just saw it (I don't think it was posted here):

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/01/136818...stand-the-heat

The relevant passage:

"A lot of America did used to be constitutionally opposed to Notre Dame football, but now the Irish don't win enough to earn sufficient revulsion. Instead, now the one college team that America loves to boo is Duke basketball, because it's a hoity-toity private school and the players are supposed to be smart. So we have a situation where Duke is reviled by fans for being bright and honorable, while the national champions from the University of Connecticut, who have been punished for a recruiting violation and who put up one of the worst academic records in the nation — failing the NCAA minimum grade standard — are held in high esteem. This sort of attitude about college student athletics helps explain why the U.S. now ranks educationally down around Lower Slobenia."

Thanks for posting. When you are winning, Media talks about you. During Coach K's early years (getting to the Final 4), Duke was much like Butler today. So many pulling for the underdog team . And when you begin to win, over and over, the haters come out!

True for Notre Dame Football, and Uconn, Yankees, LA Lakers and the Duke Blue Devils. I was glad to see another Girls team win the national championship, other than UConn. Likewise, for the Lakers! I don't hate any team. But it is good, to see different teams/programs win! (just not the baby blue team!)

[Duvall]

Frank Deford on NPR about why Americans hate certain teams, including Duke. It ran on June 1, but I just saw it (I don't think it was posted here):

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/01/136818...stand-the-heat

The relevant passage:

"A lot of America did used to be constitutionally opposed to Notre Dame football, but now the Irish don't win enough to earn sufficient revulsion. Instead, now the one college team that America loves to boo is Duke basketball, because it's a hoity-toity private school and the players are supposed to be smart. So we have a situation where Duke is reviled by fans for being bright and honorable, while the national champions from the University of Connecticut, who have been punished for a recruiting violation and who put up one of the worst academic records in the nation — failing the NCAA minimum grade standard — are held in high esteem. This sort of attitude about college student athletics helps explain why the U.S. now ranks educationally down around Lower Slobenia."

In America's defense, I don't think anybody outside of ESPN holds UConn in particularly high esteem.

[BD80]

Frank Deford on NPR about why Americans hate certain teams, including Duke. It ran on June 1, but I just saw it (I don't think it was posted here):

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/01/136818...stand-the-heat

The relevant passage:

"A lot of America did used to be constitutionally opposed to Notre Dame football, but now the Irish don't win enough to earn sufficient revulsion. Instead, now the one college team that America loves to boo is Duke basketball, because it's a hoity-toity private school and the players are supposed to be smart. So we have a situation where Duke is reviled by fans for being bright and honorable, while the national champions from the University of Connecticut, who have been punished for a recruiting violation and who put up one of the worst academic records in the nation — failing the NCAA minimum grade standard — are held in high esteem. This sort of attitude about college student athletics helps explain why the U.S. now ranks educationally down around Lower Slobenia."

That's pretty harsh. I'm sure that most kids in Lower Slobenia have read books cover to cover. They don't deserve to be compared to Kemba and the Connvicts.

[hudlow]

I can't put much faith into an article that uses "hoity-toity" to describe Duke.

[fgb]

I can't put much faith into an article that uses "hoity-toity" to describe Duke.

i think he's writing about the national perception of duke, and as such, is probably fairly accurate when describing how duke is perceived relative to the group of schools that constitute the ncaa.

[rsvman]

Isn't it Slovenia?

[Wander]

Maybe I'm taking this a little too seriously, but I have trouble seeing college athletics loyalties as explaining any flaws in our educational system. Particularly our university system, which without getting into PPB territory, ranges somewhere between very good and the best in the world. Seems like a very tenuous argument by Deford.

And I agree with Duvall. UConn doesn't strike me as a particularly popular or well-liked team.

[sagegrouse]

Isn't it Slovenia?

Slobenia is just a figure of speech. The real Slovenia isn't a good example, as it is relatively prosperous, far more than the other countries from the former Yugoslavia -- Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo, etc. Its position just south of Austria has been an advantage.

sagegrouse
'I hope you don't think I know what I am talking about'

[-jk]

Isn't it Slovenia?

In the article it's actually "Lower Slobovia"

-jk

[JohnGalt]

Isn't it Slovenia?

Slobenia is just a figure of speech. The real Slovenia isn't a good example, as it is relatively prosperous, far more than the other countries from the former Yugoslavia -- Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo, etc. Its position just south of Austria has been an advantage.

sagegrouse
'I hope you don't think I know what I am talking about'

In the article it's actually "Lower Slobovia"

-jk

Had to look that one up. Really, it's a pretty hilarious reference:

Per Wiki:

In the Bugs Bunny cartoon Rabbit Romeo (1957), Millicent the rabbit—who arrives in a crate at Elmer Fudd's home—is said to be from Slobovia (spelled with one "b" in the cartoon). She is loud, overweight, overbearing, socially inept, and speaks with a Russian or Eastern European accent.

[sagegrouse]

Had to look that one up. Really, it's a pretty hilarious reference:

Per Wiki:

Another reference, which I remember from my misspent youth, is Lower Slobbovia, featured in Al Capp's Lil Abner. LS, a frigid derelict of a country, was even poorer than Dogpatch.

sagegrouse

[MCFinARL]

Maybe I'm taking this a little too seriously, but I have trouble seeing college athletics loyalties as explaining any flaws in our educational system. Particularly our university system, which without getting into PPB territory, ranges somewhere between very good and the best in the world. Seems like a very tenuous argument by Deford.

And I agree with Duvall. UConn doesn't strike me as a particularly popular or well-liked team.

It's not college athletics loyalties as such, but our national obsession with athletic accomplishment and our cultural lionization of athletes while "smart kids" are derided as geeks and nerds that I think Deford is referring to. He is seeing Duke hatred as part of that phenomenon, or perhaps a similar phenomenon, and I don't think that is totally off base--though it is only part of the equation.

There is the winning, of course, and then the part he mentions only as "private school"--the perception that Duke kids are rich kids (an obvious overgeneralization) and thus worthy of resentment. I think this fuels a lot of the hatred by Carolina fans (perhaps especially those who never actually went to Carolina) who somehow imagine that the Carolina student body consists entirely of "ordinary folks" like them--obviously just as wrong as the idea that all Duke kids are rich.

[TonyWR]

It's not college athletics loyalties as such, but our national obsession with athletic accomplishment and our cultural lionization of athletes while "smart kids" are derided as geeks and nerds that I think Deford is referring to. He is seeing Duke hatred as part of that phenomenon, or perhaps a similar phenomenon, and I don't think that is totally off base--though it is only part of the equation.

There is the winning, of course, and then the part he mentions only as "private school"--the perception that Duke kids are rich kids (an obvious overgeneralization) and thus worthy of resentment. I think this fuels a lot of the hatred by Carolina fans (perhaps especially those who never actually went to Carolina) who somehow imagine that the Carolina student body consists entirely of "ordinary folks" like them--obviously just as wrong as the idea that all Duke kids are rich.

So true, I encounter those Tar Heel brainiacs daily. Most never graduated high school but feel entitled to attack a top university and their athletes, Talk about ignorant of their own ignorance, its comical at times.

[rfaison]

That's pretty harsh. I'm sure that most kids in Lower Slobenia have read books cover to cover. They don't deserve to be compared to Kemba and the Connvicts.

I'm definitely no UConn fan, but FYI, Kemba did graduate this year (a year early). This is the best link I could find quickly:

http://vlsportysexycool.com/2011/05/...-win-at-uconn/

[Bluedog]

I'm definitely no UConn fan, but FYI, Kemba did graduate this year (a year early). This is the best link I could find quickly:

http://vlsportysexycool.com/2011/05/...-win-at-uconn/

Wow, he graduated from UConn in three years with honors without reading a single book, while majoring in sociology. I agree, that is impressive! In fact, I think getting into college at all without having read a single book in elementary school or high school is impressive in its own right. But seriously, I actually like Kemba and think he's a good guy/player.

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebaske...his-first-book

[MCFinARL]

Wow, he graduated from UConn in three years with honors without reading a single book, while majoring in sociology. I agree, that is impressive! In fact, I think getting into college at all without having read a single book in elementary school or high school is impressive in its own right. But seriously, I actually like Kemba and think he's a good guy/player.

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebaske...his-first-book

The bad news is, there are a fair number of kids graduating from college these days who have never read an entire book who are not recruited athletes (I know this because I teach them). In the great midrange of American colleges, book reading is a quaint old-fashioned custom.

[TheItinerantSon]

The bad news is, there are a fair number of kids graduating from college these days who have never read an entire book who are not recruited athletes (I know this because I teach them). In the great midrange of American colleges, book reading is a quaint old-fashioned custom.

you can definitely graduate from duke without having read an entire book (during college)

[Jarhead]

you can definitely graduate from duke without having read an entire book (during college)

Back in the day, I knew a few engineers that never read a book, or a newspaper. Interesting to me is the fact that many Trinity students actually found ways around it by taking shortcuts just shy of cheating. In my own case I was never assigned one to read, but I read several as recreation. I started out as a Chemistry major, and switched to Accounting. Never even used it in the Marine Corps, but it came in handy in my civilian employment especially in my work as an Information Systems Auditor.

And then there were text books that were simply reference manuals. You know, like those owners manuals you sometimes get with electronics gear. They were read only when it was necessary to understanding equipment operation, or the notes taken in class. When all else fails try reading the instructions. That was a popular mantra of the day. Maybe it still is.

[MCFinARL]

you can definitely graduate from duke without having read an entire book (during college)

In my daughter's Writing 20 class a few years ago, the students were assigned two books as their primary reading for the semester. When it came time to write the last paper, which focused on one of these, another student asked my daughter if she would talk the assignment through with him to help him get some ideas. They chatted for a while as she described how she was approaching the assignment by identifying key points in the book. His eyes grew wide and he said, "wait--you actually read the book?"

True story (or at least this is what my daughter said).