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House G
03-18-2011, 11:18 AM
At least we are below Maryland.

http://www.gq.com/sports/lists/201104/worst-sports-fans-in-america#slide=1

Bluedog
03-18-2011, 11:23 AM
At least we are below Maryland.

http://www.gq.com/sports/lists/201104/worst-sports-fans-in-america#slide=1

GQ is terrible. (Not giving you a thumbs down House G, giving it to GQ.) Don't give them hits. In case you're curious though, we ranked #8 and Maryland was #5 (according to somebody on another message board; I myself don't want to give them hits ;)). I've also never heard that chant against UNC. "We're smart, you're dumb!"? Has anybody ever heard that?

jdk
03-18-2011, 11:23 AM
LOL at Harrison Barnes.

dukebluesincebirth
03-18-2011, 11:32 AM
GQ is terrible. (Not giving you a thumbs down House G, giving it to GQ.) Don't give them hits. In case you're curious though, we ranked #8 and Maryland was #5 (according to somebody on another message board; I myself don't want to give them hits ;)). I've also never heard that chant against UNC. "We're smart, you're dumb!"? Has anybody ever heard that?

No, have never heard that unc chant either, and I'm sure unc fans would've brought it up much more if they had ever heard it.

On another note, I am a Duke AND Yankees fan. I try to talk sports with a guy at a bar and he hates me automatically. Then I always get accused of picking "winning" teams or being a bandwagon fan. It's great winning but getting hated by other sports fans gets old, I must admit. My dad raised me a Duke and Yankees fan, I was brainwashed at an early age, and this is what I have to put up with my whole life? Hatred and more hatred? It's a rough life.

cspan37421
03-18-2011, 11:32 AM
Silver spoon fans, eh? How about 49.6% of undergraduates on financial aid?

davekay1971
03-18-2011, 11:35 AM
I'm proud that 3 of the 5 top Maryland fan riots are the result of games against Duke. Forget the "not our rivals!" chants...that's just not capturing the full picture. "You're obsession is scary and pathological" is a little more accurate (though not quite as easy for 9,000+ fans to chant in unison).

hurleyfor3
03-18-2011, 11:36 AM
They left out Atlanta Braves "fans", but since the Braves are pretty ordinary nowadays no one seems to care.

DukeUsul
03-18-2011, 11:39 AM
No, have never heard that unc chant either, and I'm sure unc fans would've brought it up much more if they had ever heard it.

On another note, I am a Duke AND Yankees fan. I try to talk sports with a guy at a bar and he hates me automatically. Then I always get accused of picking "winning" teams or being a bandwagon fan. It's great winning but getting hated by other sports fans gets old, I must admit. My dad raised me a Duke and Yankees fan, I was brainwashed at an early age, and this is what I have to put up with my whole life? Hatred and more hatred? It's a rough life.

I'm REALLY in trouble. I'm an Eagles, Phillies, Red Sox and Duke fan. Ah well, it's fun to win, even if people automatically hate you for your teams.

Dukeface88
03-18-2011, 11:45 AM
No, have never heard that unc chant either, and I'm sure unc fans would've brought it up much more if they had ever heard it.



Thirded. The closest I can think of are the "safety school" chant, which is almost always used ironically (Princeton this year, Penn last year) and mocking the Twerps for their atrocious graduation rate.

elvis14
03-18-2011, 11:46 AM
In no particular order, the worst fans I meet are:

UNC@CH, Yankees, RedSox, Dallas Cowboys

RoyalBlue08
03-18-2011, 11:47 AM
I'm proud that 3 of the 5 top Maryland fan riots are the result of games against Duke. Forget the "not our rivals!" chants...that's just not capturing the full picture. "You're obsession is scary and pathological" is a little more accurate (though not quite as easy for 9,000+ fans to chant in unison).

I'm willing to give it a try anyway. Who is with me?

dukebluesincebirth
03-18-2011, 11:52 AM
In no particular order, the worst fans I meet are:

UNC@CH, Yankees, RedSox, Dallas Cowboys


Agreed with you on the TarHeels and especially the Cowboys! There's no worse phrase for me to hear than "How bout them boys?"

HateCarolina
03-18-2011, 12:42 PM
No, have never heard that unc chant either, and I'm sure unc fans would've brought it up much more if they had ever heard it.

On another note, I am a Duke AND Yankees fan. I try to talk sports with a guy at a bar and he hates me automatically. Then I always get accused of picking "winning" teams or being a bandwagon fan. It's great winning but getting hated by other sports fans gets old, I must admit. My dad raised me a Duke and Yankees fan, I was brainwashed at an early age, and this is what I have to put up with my whole life? Hatred and more hatred? It's a rough life.

Its funny to see someone else referring to their brainwashing at an early age. My dad went to Duke so it has been ingrained in me to root for them since birth a little over 36 years ago. I myself did not attend Duke, so I have to hear that from my Carolina colleagues all of the time. I actually joked with them earlier this week that I was going to take a distance learning class from Duke just to say I went there...anyone have any suggestions? I already have an MBA, so I'm thinking some kind of leadership course. :confused:

dukebluesincebirth
03-18-2011, 12:46 PM
Its funny to see someone else referring to their brainwashing at an early age. My dad went to Duke so it has been ingrained in me to root for them since birth a little over 36 years ago. I myself did not attend Duke, so I have to hear that from my Carolina colleagues all of the time. I actually joked with them earlier this week that I was going to take a distance learning class from Duke just to say I went there...anyone have any suggestions? I already have an MBA, so I'm thinking some kind of leadership course. :confused:

Not really any suggestions, just sympathy. I also didn't attend Duke, but for 25 years lived no longer than a 5 minute drive from campus. I think it's interesting how some people out there think the ONLY Duke fans in the world are Duke graduates and any other Duke fan I guess isn't "worthy?" Whatever. Go Devils.

kong123
03-18-2011, 01:09 PM
Silver spoon fans, eh? How about 49.6% of undergraduates on financial aid?

even the most wealthy have to take financial aid to attend Duke! And for you to use the 49.6% as justification, I think that is actually an indictment. If over 50% of the students can afford to go to school there without financial aid, then he is right. I cannot imagine there are many schools, regardless of the cost of tuition, that have over 50% of their undergraduates paying for their school without government assistance. That is insane!! What is the tuition per semester now?

throatybeard
03-18-2011, 01:12 PM
I bet most people in the US don't know a significant number of Duke fans. We're a small school, and most of the neutrals hate us. So how they would know what our fans are like?

BlueDevilBaby
03-18-2011, 02:18 PM
Agreed with you on the TarHeels and especially the Cowboys! There's no worse phrase for me to hear than "How bout them boys?"

How 'bout them boys? sorry, this Cowboy (liked the uniforms and Roger Staubach), Yankees (proximity) and Duke (parents are alums) fan had to do it. Guess my only saving grace is be a fan of the lowly Nats.

wilson
03-18-2011, 02:26 PM
They left out Atlanta Braves "fans", but since the Braves are pretty ordinary nowadays no one seems to care.We're still here. Last season was our best in quite a while, and this one looks promising as well. I yelled myself hoarse down the stretch last season. At one point last season, I had several people text me that they knew I was at the game because they could hear me on television.
I'll grant you that the average Atlanta fan isn't that great, but we rabid ones still exist. I have said several times in recent years, not jokingly at all, that I want my ashes spread at Turner Field.

Duvall
03-18-2011, 02:27 PM
They left out Atlanta Braves "fans", but since the Braves are pretty ordinary nowadays no one seems to care.

More likely that they could tell the difference between a small fanbase and a poor one.

Bluedog
03-18-2011, 02:33 PM
I cannot imagine there are many schools, regardless of the cost of tuition, that have over 50% of their undergraduates paying for their school without government assistance. That is insane!! What is the tuition per semester now?

Schools that Duke considers its peers have basically identical socioeconomic diversity as Duke. Dartmouth, UPenn, Northwestern, etc. 45% of Northwestern students receive financial aid - a smaller percentage than Duke's. And their tuition is basically identical. Most of the upper echelon schools (including all the Ivies) have a large percentage of the students body coming from families with higher income levels. It's not a Duke-specific situation. But that doesn't mean Duke doesn't make it affordable for lower-income students. In fact, Duke encourages socioeconomic diversity by giving copious amounts of financial aid. Duke was cheaper for me than UMich....I don't know why Duke gets singled out. I guess because Dartmouth, UPenn, etc aren't very relevant in sports.

Papa John
03-18-2011, 02:45 PM
I'm proud that 3 of the 5 top Maryland fan riots are the result of games against Duke. Forget the "not our rivals!" chants...that's just not capturing the full picture. "You're obsession is scary and pathological" is a little more accurate (though not quite as easy for 9,000+ fans to chant in unison).

That's a great idea for a cheer! Might I suggest distilling it to one of those 2-word comparison chants?

[pointing to Duke bench] Logical!
[pointing to Maryland bench] Pathological!
[rinse and repeat numerous times]

Tjenkins
03-18-2011, 02:53 PM
The first and only time I ever heard about this chant was when I read this SI article back in 1986:
http://tinyurl.com/5vfg5r9
Whether it actually happened is another story.

dukebluesincebirth wrote:

I think it's interesting how some people out there think the ONLY Duke fans in the world are Duke graduates and any other Duke fan I guess isn't "worthy?" Whatever. Go Devils.
Hell,I'm a fan, I'm not an alum, I just happened to move to the South when Banks,Spanarkel & Gminski were on the team and enjoyed watching them on those grainy Chesley telecasts. The Dawkins/Alarie/Bilas/Henderson teams made me a life-long fan.


GQ sucks, and not just because of this piece.

Dukeface88
03-18-2011, 02:56 PM
I cannot imagine there are many schools, regardless of the cost of tuition, that have over 50% of their undergraduates paying for their school without government assistance.

You apparently don't have very much imagination. 47% of students nationwide recieved federal financial aid in 2007-2008 (last year I can find numbers for).

Edit: Oh, and UNC? 51% of undergrads recieve financial aid. So yeah.

Facts r gud.

Bluedog
03-18-2011, 03:03 PM
You apparently don't have very much imagination. 47% of students nationwide recieved federal financial aid in 2007-2008 (last year I can find numbers for).

Edit: Oh, and UNC? 51% of undergrads recieve financial aid. So yeah.

Facts r gud.

Not that I'm agreeing with Kong, but he'll accurately argue that not as many UNC students need financial aid because the in-state tuition is so much less than Duke's tuition. Duke is very generous with its financial aid and welcomes people of all socioeconomic levels. I am eternally grateful for Duke's generosity which made it an affordable place for me to attend. However, the demographic makeup of elite private institutions is not representative of the US population and is heavily skewed towards the upper class. Not unique to Duke though at all.

kong123
03-18-2011, 03:13 PM
I am not trying to say anything negative about Duke at all. I am completely out of touch at this point as to how much it costs to go to school at Due or anywhere else for that matter. But, at around 100K a year, it amazes me that half of the student body does not need some assistance. Duke also has a small student body compared to the rest of the ACC.

Dukeface88
03-18-2011, 03:42 PM
Not that I'm agreeing with Kong, but he'll accurately argue that not as many UNC students need financial aid because the in-state tuition is so much less than Duke's tuition.

He can argue that, but it isn't what he said.


Duke is very generous with its financial aid and welcomes people of all socioeconomic levels. I am eternally grateful for Duke's generosity which made it an affordable place for me to attend.

I can relate. It was cheaper for me to attend Duke than to go to UF (where I was near-certain I was going before I got my aid letter).


However, the demographic makeup of elite private institutions is not representative of the US population and is heavily skewed towards the upper class. Not unique to Duke though at all.

True enough. I just disagree with using it like some sort of universal truth, especially when talking about fans generally (many of whom, as mentioned, aren't alumni).


I am not trying to say anything negative about Duke at all. I am completely out of touch at this point as to how much it costs to go to school at Due or anywhere else for that matter. But, at around 100K a year, it amazes me that half of the student body does not need some assistance.

For reference, Duke's about 50k before aid (and just to be clear, that's total, not just tution); UNC is apparently 20-25k for in-state, but also runs about 40k for out-of-state. Still quite a lot, but a bit more managable. Also, keep in mind that financial aid does not include private student loans or merit-based scholarships, so even students without aid are often not paying full cost.

tendev
03-18-2011, 11:01 PM
even the most wealthy have to take financial aid to attend Duke! And for you to use the 49.6% as justification, I think that is actually an indictment. If over 50% of the students can afford to go to school there without financial aid, then he is right. I cannot imagine there are many schools, regardless of the cost of tuition, that have over 50% of their undergraduates paying for their school without government assistance. That is insane!! What is the tuition per semester now?

Financial aid at Duke does not equal government assistance. The reason Carolina is so cheap is that the cost is subsidized by us NC taxpayers. I am not complaining. Taxpayer money should greatly subsidize the cost of attending a public school. Duke's financial aid is mostly paid by its endowment and charitable giving, not taxpayer money.

davekay1971
03-18-2011, 11:24 PM
even the most wealthy have to take financial aid to attend Duke! And for you to use the 49.6% as justification, I think that is actually an indictment. If over 50% of the students can afford to go to school there without financial aid, then he is right. I cannot imagine there are many schools, regardless of the cost of tuition, that have over 50% of their undergraduates paying for their school without government assistance. That is insane!! What is the tuition per semester now?

We'll adjust this for inflation and time, but back in the dark ages when I went to Duke the cost was just north of $20,000 per year for tuition and fees. I was fortunate enough to go without any financial aid. My education at Duke was covered, even with a little to spare, by an educational fund set up and financed entirely by my parents. Richie Rich in the flesh, right?

Not quite. Dad grew up in Depression era rural Illinois, son of a grocery store manager. He went to the Naval Academy because (1) he wanted to serve his country, and (2) he couldn't afford college by any other route. He went on to serve 30 years as a naval officer. Mom grew up in Lexington, NC, the daughter of two parents who worked in the Lexington and High Point mills. She put herself through NC State (since she wanted to be an engineer). She then went on to work as an engineer for the Department of the Navy.

We grew up in a nice house in suburban DC. They bought cars like Ford Escorts and Chevy Cavaliers and drove them into the ground. We travelled to exotic locations like...Lexington to visit family for our vacations. They were the cheapest people I knew. And they put money away, as much as they could, to my brother's and my educations from the time we were conceived.

Silver spoons? I didn't see any when I was growing up. And, shockingly enough, most of the kids I knew at Duke had backgrounds pretty similar to my own.

So, Kong, before you go assuming that the 50% of kids at Duke NOT needing financial aid are the silver spoon crowd, you might want to check your facts.

weezie
03-19-2011, 09:21 AM
GQ is terrible. (Not giving you a thumbs down House G, giving it to GQ.)

Well, how will House G stay so stylish if he doesn't keep abreast of the latest in male sartorial news?
I hear saddle shoes are coming back for you guys :p

And ps, where are the Pburgh Pguins fans on that list? Walking into that upside down light fixture of a rink was something I'll never forget. Truly a scary few moments.

77devil
03-19-2011, 09:59 AM
We'll adjust this for inflation and time, but back in the dark ages when I went to Duke the cost was just north of $20,000 per year for tuition and fees. I was fortunate enough to go without any financial aid. My education at Duke was covered, even with a little to spare, by an educational fund set up and financed entirely by my parents. Richie Rich in the flesh, right?

Not quite. Dad grew up in Depression era rural Illinois, son of a grocery store manager. He went to the Naval Academy because (1) he wanted to serve his country, and (2) he couldn't afford college by any other route. He went on to serve 30 years as a naval officer. Mom grew up in Lexington, NC, the daughter of two parents who worked in the Lexington and High Point mills. She put herself through NC State (since she wanted to be an engineer). She then went on to work as an engineer for the Department of the Navy.

We grew up in a nice house in suburban DC. They bought cars like Ford Escorts and Chevy Cavaliers and drove them into the ground. We travelled to exotic locations like...Lexington to visit family for our vacations. They were the cheapest people I knew. And they put money away, as much as they could, to my brother's and my educations from the time we were conceived.

Silver spoons? I didn't see any when I was growing up. And, shockingly enough, most of the kids I knew at Duke had backgrounds pretty similar to my own.

So, Kong, before you go assuming that the 50% of kids at Duke NOT needing financial aid are the silver spoon crowd, you might want to check your facts.

Not defending Kong's typical jab, denial notwithstanding, but your experience isn't common anymore. A lot of the so called middle class have now been squeezed out of expensive private institutions. Too much income to qualify for much or any financial aid and not enough to pay the full boat unless, perhaps, they planned from day one and made the sacrifices your parents did.

Real incomes have been flat for the large majority of Americans over the last 30 years. Tuition and board for private higher education have been increasing at essentially twice the rate of inflation over the same period. I'm assuming you graduated in the early 90's. The disparity has marched on. The economics of compounding are relentless.

davekay1971
03-19-2011, 11:39 AM
Not defending Kong's typical jab, denial notwithstanding, but your experience isn't common anymore. A lot of the so called middle class have now been squeezed out of expensive private institutions. Too much income to qualify for much or any financial aid and not enough to pay the full boat unless, perhaps, they planned from day one and made the sacrifices your parents did.

Real incomes have been flat for the large majority of Americans over the last 30 years. Tuition and board for private higher education have been increasing at essentially twice the rate of inflation over the same period. I'm assuming you graduated in the early 90's. The disparity has marched on. The economics of compounding are relentless.

Everything you said is correct. I don't think my situation was typical - my parents, thank goodness, were (at least in this day and age) uncommonly good at planning ahead and uncommonly good at sticking to the plan. I merely wanted to point out that Kong's assumption that the 50% of kids at Duke not on financial aid are therefore wealthy is not a safe or accurate assumption to make.

As an interesting aside, my wife is an NC State grad who grew up in North Carolina and was educated in the NC public school system (I don't want to hear any jokes - she's a brilliant, well educated professional :) ). She tells me that the rep in the public school system was that UNC was the state school for the rich kids with the correct last names. Kind of the Duke of the UNC public university system.

It's all about perspective...

barjwr
03-19-2011, 01:15 PM
This esteemed publication also ranked us as the "doucheist" university in the country; the official rankings had us at #2, but--in their words--they only made us #2 because they don't like to think of Duke as #1 at anything.

http://playground.chronicleblogs.com/2009/08/24/gq-ranks-duke-americas-2nd-douchiest-college/
(used a chronicle link so gq doesn't get any more hits for their efforts)

Obsess much?

BCGroup
03-19-2011, 02:51 PM
I'm right there with several of you...didn't graduate from Duke, or take a class, or even teach there (I was a professor for 10 years). The only thing that saves me is the story I have, which brings a smile even from Carolina fans. My grandfather, who only had an eighth grade education, played tennis with a friend who went to Duke. Then, he saw Duke play in the Rose Bowl in Durham (you know, right after Pearl Harbor). He raised my dad to value education and be a Duke fan who raised all three of his girls to be Duke fans! We now have my niece and my new foster son and stepson on board. Carrying forth the legacy.

Devil in the Blue Dress
03-19-2011, 03:19 PM
Financial aid at Duke does not equal government assistance. The reason Carolina is so cheap is that the cost is subsidized by us NC taxpayers. I am not complaining. Taxpayer money should greatly subsidize the cost of attending a public school. Duke's financial aid is mostly paid by its endowment and charitable giving, not taxpayer money.
If I remember correctly, Duke does receive some funding from the State of North Carolina based on the number of North Carolina students currently enrolled.

dukelilsis
03-19-2011, 05:54 PM
My opinion of Carolina fans is very much the same as davekay1971's wife's experience growing up but with one difference. My brother went to Duke and, being that my dad was a mailman and my mom was a teacher's assistant in the public schools, I didn't associate Duke as being a school for the rich. Afterall, 100% of his finacial need was met and he worked various jobs on campus to help supplement his finances. During summers, he worked second shift in our town's mill to help as well. I always saw Duke as a school for those with superior intelligence who wanted to challenge themselves. (I, on the other hand, did not get into Duke and attended a state school--NOT UNC.)

I have always viewed Carolina fans as being from one of two camps: those who can talk sports and have fun with it vs. those who think they are better than anyone else, are hateful about ALL other schools and believe that they and their team have a special entitlement because they are fans of "The State School". The latter group tends to boo every call made against them, make life difficult for those around them the days following a loss and are generally the most obnoxious people I've ever met. Can you tell I grew up in North Carolina as one of the only Duke fans in my small town? I went to the games in Charlotte yesterday and had to go out to the concourse to walk around for a few minutes because of the harassing comments being made to me during the Carolina game because I was wearing a Duke shirt. Also, the "Tar.....Heels..." chant was about to make me nauseous. Being that it's the only cheer you hear with any regularity, I would also say that they tend not to be very creative.

With that said, the other group of Carolina fans are actually pretty cool and the group includes some of my dearest friends as well as some family members. They can be quite fun. I remember sticking signs in my cousin's yard after a Carolina loss and him returning the favor after a Duke loss. Some of my Tarheel friends and I have exchanged dead flowers after losses, delivered personalized crying towels to each other and mailed each other sympathy cards. One the whole, I find the fan base unbearable but with those fun few, I have a great time. I am thankful that we have some of the kinder, gentler Caroina fans here at DBR.