I'm thankful this blog was originally shared with us a few weeks ago. It gives me a pretty good insight on what life would be like spending a huge part of my life in K-Ville. (Being that will more than likely never happen for me.)
Here's the link to the Tent 1 blog responding to the recent SI article (the link to article is included in the blog). Well Done Crazies! I'm proud of you guys. Can't wait to see what you come up with on Saturday!!
http://web.mac.com/andersc/Tent_Blog...2008/3/4_.html
GTHC, GTH
I'm thankful this blog was originally shared with us a few weeks ago. It gives me a pretty good insight on what life would be like spending a huge part of my life in K-Ville. (Being that will more than likely never happen for me.)
Oh gracious. Tent 1 is being a little overdramatic here, don't you think?
The Crazies were only a blip on the radar screen of that column, which I quite enjoyed.
Agreed, Feldspar. Grant Wahl's original story barely criticized the Crazies, if at all. Oregon and Illinois were singled out. Heck, UNC took more criticism than Duke. In fact, when Duke was discussed, it was more as an example of the blurry line between clever and abusive. In fact, Wahl basically writes just that: "But what is that line? When Duke's Cameron Crazies donned caps and gowns on Feb. 13 and held up signs reading MARYLAND BASKETBALL: FEAR THE CLASSROOM, was it a creative dig at their rival's ACC-lowest graduation rate or a boorish put-down?"
Tent1's reaction is WAAAAAAAY over the top and doesn't show a particularly strong understanding of the overall point of the article.
They're all great kids in those tents. Their dedication is unparalleled in the college game, they are the gold standard in fandom. Speaking as a member of a much removed generation, the Crazies have to take it once in a while in addition to dishing it out.
Just channel that always handy anger at SI into cheering the roof off Cameron on Saturday.
I have to agree with Tent 1 on this. The article in the print version of Sports Illustrated was fair and balanced, but the online article was not. EVERY picture on the website was of a Duke player or taken at Cameron Indoor Stadium. I understand that they can't and shouldn't reprint every article from the magazine online, but that editorial decision didn't seem fair to Duke University, the Cameron Crazies, and especially Tent 1.
The article discussed terrible incidents, but if you just looked at the pictures (which many people do on the internet...) you would be left with the perception that Duke is the home of some of the most vulgar, terrible fan behavior this side of a soccor riot. Your average Terrapin or Tar Heel may agree with that, but it is hard to objectively argue that Duke fans are way out of line. Those pictures, just by ONLY being of Duke students, seems to tell that story.
Time flies like an arrow
Fruit flies like a banana
Based on what I read in the SI article, it certainly seems as though tent 1 could be getting a little Roy Williams-ish in sensitivity.
Edit- I read the magazine article, not the online one.
What? The very first picture is of the UNC crowd. The second picture shows no fans -- just Deron Washington jumping over Paulus. If the best argument to defend Tent 1 is the idea that people might draw conclusions from pictures because they are too lazy to actually read the story, that's not much of an argument at all.
The article itself wasn't particularly critical of the crazies, but the site editors certainly targeted them with the selection of pictures (3 for 3 featuring Duke)and if I recall correctly the text links on quite a few pages over the past several days mentioned Duke.
The blog response seemed fine to me. It didn't slam the article it slamed how posters making fun of a 0% graduation rate were in the same list with death threats, and F*#^ You chants. I took exception to that as well.
The article wasn't that bad but the Photo Gallery was titled "Abusive College Hoops Fans" had 14 pictures - 4 of Duke - 2 of UNC (both making fun of Duke)- 2 for Memphis - 1 of everyone else. I thought the Duke and UNC pictures did not even approach abusive, maybe a couple of the others were abusive. A photo gallery with a nasty title is far from unbiased reporting.
GTHC GTH!
Huh? Are we talking about the same online article? I went here: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...303/index.html
and based on those three pictures, I have no idea what you are talking about.
I believe the newer link has different pictures than those in the original article.
Oh my bad, they are the same pictures. I was thinking of some of the pictures from the photo gallery that someone posted. Sorry.
I think both the SI article and the blog response are non-issues. The blog had kind of an "I'm shocked...shocked I tell you!" feel that wasn't warranted by the treatment in SI, but there was nothing overly grating about it. Tent 1 made their case and stuck to the facts. They just sounded like typical undergrad writers in the process
Speaking from a tent one perspective, I suppose what offended us are the few lazy swipes at Duke in the absence of actual material. While taking potshots at Duke is nothing new, the “boorish behavior” they criticize was specifically done by us. It was tent one and tent two that dressed up in graduation gowns for the game. We were the ones with the “fear the classroom” signs and the ones who picked up on “the mind is a Terrapin thing to waste”. The pictures for the Maryland game feature our members. The picture gallery mainly featured the Cameron Crazies, despite our scant reference in the article. And given the context of the article, we are mentioned in the same breath as a crowd cheering for Paulus to be tea-bagged.
And regarding the informal language, it’s just a blog, people. Elevated writing can be left elsewhere. Seriously, you should just take it in the spirit it was meant to be read. I believe the tone is moderately humorous and capable of being read without expressing overdramatic statements about how overdramatic we are. Even the DBR boards are hating on us. *shakes head* Don't worry, we'll get through this...
Last edited by AwesomelyRBD!; 03-05-2008 at 08:10 AM.
Tent 1 gets the benefit of the doubt. You know, that whole Band of Brothers thing. We don't have to pile on ourselves, there are thousands that will do that for us.
And, with no basketball grads in what, 5 years, A Mind IS a Terrapin Thing to Waste. Heck, why not study and graduate while you're in college?