Question about the Crazies

[grossbus]

My sister and nephew have both commented during recent games that the Crazies were not living up to their legacy. Seen some posts here that suggested the same thing.

Have also seen responses from people who were at Cameron who said it wasn't true.

Today the presence of the Crazies was clearly evident.

Made me wonder if ESPN is muting the Crazies and other crowd noise during the games they carry.


Any thoughts about this?

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Today's crowd, Crazies and Crusties, was near Carolina loud and energenic. By far the best crowd of the year! Great job Crazies! LGD GTHc !

[weezie]

Excellent crowd today. Most venues have to mike the crowd to stir up viewer excitement. Cameron gets turned down so the headphone wearing commentators can hear themselves blather.

That was a banging crowd today!

Although, I still miss "Oh Babyyyyyyyy!" I see the doll being carried but never the cheer!

[OldPhiKap]

K praised the crowd today in his PC, and also said the crowd at GT was not so good.

Hard to complain about today.

[PallasAthena]

My sister and nephew have both commented during recent games that the Crazies were not living up to their legacy. Seen some posts here that suggested the same thing.

Have also seen responses from people who were at Cameron who said it wasn't true.

Today the presence of the Crazies was clearly evident.

Made me wonder if ESPN is muting the Crazies and other crowd noise during the games they carry.


Any thoughts about this?

I've been at all the home games this year, and when the students are present the crowd noise and enthusiasm are just fine. When I've watched games on TV, including some Carolina games, I have noticed that people in the stands appear to be cheering but the sound is not being transmitted. I think the broadcasters, especially ESPN, are muting the crowd noise so that their talking heads can dominate the sound track. It's kind of ridiculous.

[Des Esseintes]

To be certain, the crowd last was truly good during you, the reader's, senior year. A decline started shortly after your departure, and nothing has been the same since. The most logical explanation is that the current students are not as interesting or alive as past students.

[OldPhiKap]

To be certain, the crowd last was truly good during you, the reader's, senior year. A decline started shortly after your departure, and nothing has been the same since. The most logical explanation is that the current students are not as interesting or alive as past students.

And the music's sucked sice I graduated too. Where is Tony Orlando and Dawn when I need them?

[uh_no]

My sister and nephew have both commented during recent games that the Crazies were not living up to their legacy. Seen some posts here that suggested the same thing.

Have also seen responses from people who were at Cameron who said it wasn't true.

Today the presence of the Crazies was clearly evident.

Made me wonder if ESPN is muting the Crazies and other crowd noise during the games they carry.


Any thoughts about this?

I want to make a point about the difficulties the students have:

There are lots of calls here for the students to do cool and spontaneous things like the "good old days"....well..some grad students decided to show up with hundreds of long balloons for the grad students to wave around...looked awesome and ND missed some free throws....and then stadium ops took them all the way because they didn't work right with the duke basketball "show"

what the heck problem could balloons possibly be? why would any student try to do something at all out of the ordinary if they were wondering whether some knucklehead was going to decide it didn't fit the cameron image and take it away?

It's all marketing these days, and it kills creativity.

[MulletMan]

I want to make a point about the difficulties the students have:

There are lots of calls here for the students to do cool and spontaneous things like the "good old days"....well..some grad students decided to show up with hundreds of long balloons for the grad students to wave around...looked awesome and ND missed some free throws....and then stadium ops took them all the way because they didn't work right with the duke basketball "show"

what the heck problem could balloons possibly be? why would any student try to do something at all out of the ordinary if they were wondering whether some knucklehead was going to decide it didn't fit the cameron image and take it away?

It's all marketing these days, and it kills creativity.

Did that really happen? Hear kens back to when we had the court wide, 6 foot high sign that read, "if you can't go to college go to State." That was confiscated as well. If they took the balloons, then you're right, there is not point in attempting to be creative.

[Duvall]

Did that really happen? Hear kens back to when we had the court wide, 6 foot high sign that read, "if you can't go to college go to State." That was confiscated as well. If they took the balloons, then you're right, there is not point in attempting to be creative.

The balloons were the opposite of creative and that sign sounds terrible. Duke was right in both cases.

[uh_no]

Did that really happen? Hear kens back to when we had the court wide, 6 foot high sign that read, "if you can't go to college go to State." That was confiscated as well. If they took the balloons, then you're right, there is not point in attempting to be creative.

yep. just after halftime.

[rocketeli]

The balloons were the opposite of creative and that sign sounds terrible. Duke was right in both cases.

I hope you're being sarcastic, but if not I'm glad to finally find the person in charge of deciding what's creative or not for the entire world. I think I've seen your comments on a lot of websites "Your (sic) not funny" "Your book sux" etc.

Whether or not one thinks the crazies were better or not, so thoughts
Every fun, spontaneous thing the the young taste makers do is noted by corporate cool hunters and turned into a revenue generating activity, which creates a sense more of obligation than quirky/rebelliousness and makes it not as fun. Cases in point: halloween parties, spring break, St Patrick's day celebrations, Valentine day/Christmas cards (in the Victorian era--look it up they weren't what you thought) and also going to college sports games and acting the fool. So now you have pre-recorded music (which personally I think is an anathema and should be stopped right now, preprinted cheer sheets, a lot of people saying you "have" to go as part of the Duke experience and so on

Nobody ever talks about it, but a few years ago Duke took a lot of the downstairs bleachers away from the students (its the side you don't see on TV) and gave them to fat cats how Carolina of them!

Micromanagement. The example above, where signs (witty or not is in the eye of the beholder) balloons, etc are confiscated just because they can, and can we talk, I mean amongst us Duke fans, is there anything lamer than preprinted cheer sheets?

Games on TV. In the 70s when I attended the games that was the only way to see them except for 1 or 2 televised during the season.

Prissiness (if thats a word) No two people have the same idea of what is funny versus "that crossed the line to mean, tasteless,racist, sexist etc." The solution in the age where everybody thinks they have the right to unilaterally declare a fiat about where line is, is that everything becomes "safe" like a joke book for toddlers. Whether or not this is good or a bad thing is a larger debate (I'm not sure we want to go back to the days when people would scream "miss it n---r"at players shooting free throws, or crowds at other arenas yelling "Jew U" and "Jewk" at the Duke players) , but its effect on a sport crowd is to limit what they do.

In the 70s there was no barrier between the fans and the court-no moat of oh-so important what ever they are. There was no friendly isolation of the visiting bench by parking a bunch of visiting fans behind it--instead BOG etc used to come early to claim those seats and do their best to make disrupt the visiting team.

25 years of success has made many people blasé.

Finally, many other sports fan bases have caught with what used to be unique to Cameron. They learned from us, but that makes Cameron stand out a little less.

[Native]

some grad students decided to show up with hundreds of long balloons for the grad students to wave around...looked awesome and ND missed some free throws....and then stadium ops took them all the way because they didn't work right with the duke basketball "show"

what the heck problem could balloons possibly be? why would any student try to do something at all out of the ordinary if they were wondering whether some knucklehead was going to decide it didn't fit the cameron image and take it away?

The balloons weren't taken away, they were trying to move them to the opposite end of the floor to help with free-throw distractions in the second half. And I'd know better than most, because it was my idea — I'm the guy in the ref shirt. The graduate students on the other end either decided not to use them, or — in most cases — accidentally popped them. You'd have to think that those things didn't last more than a half in a hot Cameron building where everyone's going ballistic anyway.

Furthermore, who do you think bought all the balloons? It wasn't a bunch of broke college students, that's for sure.

You probably also noticed the "OUR HOUSE" and "NO MERCY" banners, neither of which was confiscated. Nor were students reprimanded at all during warmups when the undergraduates held up a sign that said "TASTE THE RAINBOW" with a picture of a Devil eating a Leprechaun; these same undergraduates then proceeded to throw around a few dozen packages' worth of Skittles to the crowd.

Yeah, this was the first time Cameron was really Cameron this year. But it was also the first big game we've had. Countdown was Parents' Weekend and the ACC/B1G game was away this year. This was important for our freshmen to see what a good Cameron looks like; we haven't had a big game all year there.

[ramdevil]

When I was an undergraduate, I got into Cameron after waiting maybe an hour in line... for the UNC game (The Game, Banks/Dennard senior game). I once went to Duke-GT, and there could not have been more than 50 students in the stands.

So at least from my perspective, the Crazies and the Crusties are always better than in my day.

Ramdevil

[ArtVandelay]

Ah, like clockwork, the "crazies ain't what they used to be" stories come out of the woodwork.

I was digging The Justice League yesterday. I was wondering if we'd see that this season as it seemed like a softball. Also, Justise's Instagram handle is "The Chief Justise" (which is awesome, btw). Would love to see someone dress up in full on judge garb w/ powdered wig as a tribute. Make it happen, crazies! Also, I liked the "Quinn Cooks" dressed as chefs that showed up at some point either last year or the year before. Wouldn't mind seeing a return for the Carolina game.

Does anyone know what the story was with the guys dressed as construction workers? They seemed to have something written on their helmets, but it was hard to tell on TV. Also, some sort of chant was going on midway through the second half but I couldn't make it out on TV.

Great job yesterday, crazies!

[Native]

Would love to see someone dress up in full on judge garb w/ powdered wig as a tribute.

Already happened against Georgia Tech. Will definitely happen again. Same thing with Quinn's Cooks.

The guys in the hats were for Marshall — they're all friends of his and referred to him as "The Bulldozer". That's what the chant was.

[Duvall]

I hope you're being sarcastic, but if not I'm glad to finally find the person in charge of deciding what's creative or not for the entire world. I think I've seen your comments on a lot of websites "Your (sic) not funny" "Your book sux" etc.

Every schools has balloons like that, so no it wasn't creative. Simple fact.


Nobody ever talks about it, but a few years ago Duke took a lot of the downstairs bleachers away from the students (its the side you don't see on TV) and gave them to fat cats how Carolina of them!

We hardly talk about anything *but* that and the decline in student interest that made that move necessary.


Micromanagement. The example above, where signs (witty or not is in the eye of the beholder) balloons, etc are confiscated just because they can, and can we talk, I mean amongst us Duke fans, is there anything lamer than preprinted cheer sheets?

Games on TV. In the 70s when I attended the games that was the only way to see them except for 1 or 2 televised during the season.

Prissiness (if thats a word) No two people have the same idea of what is funny versus "that crossed the line to mean, tasteless,racist, sexist etc." The solution in the age where everybody thinks they have the right to unilaterally declare a fiat about where line is, is that everything becomes "safe" like a joke book for toddlers. Whether or not this is good or a bad thing is a larger debate (I'm not sure we want to go back to the days when people would scream "miss it n---r"at players shooting free throws, or crowds at other arenas yelling "Jew U" and "Jewk" at the Duke players) , but its effect on a sport crowd is to limit what they do.

In the 70s there was no barrier between the fans and the court-no moat of oh-so important what ever they are. There was no friendly isolation of the visiting bench by parking a bunch of visiting fans behind it--instead BOG etc used to come early to claim those seats and do their best to make disrupt the visiting team.

25 years of success has made many people blasé.

Finally, many other sports fan bases have caught with what used to be unique to Cameron. They learned from us, but that makes Cameron stand out a little less.

There can't be another school that wastes as much time on mythmaking as we do. I envy every other school for that.

[stillcrazie]

Native, thanks for the post! This guy leads a lot of the chants and knows what is up with the crazies. Loved the skittle story; I was at the game but missed that.

[Native]

Loved the skittle story; I was at the game but missed that.

It was just as the general crowd was being let in, so I don't think anyone would have caught it anyway.

[CameronBornAndBred]

The balloons were the opposite of creative and that sign sounds terrible. Duke was right in both cases.
I thought they were those pool noodles, and I commented in chat that I wasn't a fan. Too similar to other places resorting to visual gimmicks such as spinning wheels and big heads. I love the creativity of the Crazies during foul shots, and that was literally one of the least creative things I've ever seen.
(Although the crowd was awesome, even on TV. The commentators even said it was very close to a UNC frenzy feel.)

[bedeviled]

Every schools has balloons like that, so no it wasn't creative. Simple fact.Word. I've already received a condescending text from an NC State fan pointing out that the noodle balloons are their thing. Perhaps we should try tie-dyed shirts and spirals? ;)
The more they refrain from sponsored and artificial crowd noise and shenaningans, the more apt I am to continue respecting Cameron and today's Crazies (which, just to be clear, I still do).
EDIT: CB&B must have a great mind...and faster fingers than I

[CameronBornAndBred]

When I was an undergraduate, I got into Cameron after waiting maybe an hour in line... for the UNC game (The Game, Banks/Dennard senior game). I once went to Duke-GT, and there could not have been more than 50 students in the stands.

So at least from my perspective, the Crazies and the Crusties are always better than in my day.

Ramdevil
To be fair, in your day the Crazies filled both sides of the court. Now the majority are on the side that faces the crows nest and the cameras, while the side behind the bench is filled with people in shirts and ties that are sitting down.

[MulletMan]

The balloons were the opposite of creative and that sign sounds terrible. Duke was right in both cases.

Amusing. Please enlighten us to all the creative ideas you've contributed to Cameron over the years. We are dying to know...

Native, sounds like you guys did a great job yesterday. The "Taste the Rainbow" sign is particularly funny. Keep it up for the "non" big games. Recall...your responsibility is to keep the team up when things are going poorly just as much as when we are on a 43-7 run.

(Seriously though...don't forget that stretch. Might be the biggest single butt whuppin' of your time in Cameron!)

[Duvall]

Amusing. Please enlighten us to all the creative ideas you've contributed to Cameron over the years. We are dying to know...

I invented not making Duke fans look like elitist jerks at a basketball game. It didn't take, but genius is rarely recognized in its own time.

You really still think that sign was a good idea?

[Danke Shane]

As long as we don't resort to that overplayed garbage that other schools do, holding up "wacky and zany over-sized cardboard heads of dated pop culture references", I'll be happy.

[Bluedog]

Nobody ever talks about it, but a few years ago Duke took a lot of the downstairs bleachers away from the students (its the side you don't see on TV) and gave them to fat cats how Carolina of them!

This is a bit misleading ... According to Mickie Krzyzewski (during one of the "conversations" with the Crazies), they had been disappointed in the noise/disruptions behind the basket of the opponent during the second half (the more important half). That is where the "fat cats" had a bunch of seats, so she was encouraging everybody to make even more noise during fts in the second hair since students where not on that side. The band had a small slice and did their best, but a bit off to the side.

So, in order to have students behind a basket for the opponents seconds half, either Duke could switch the benches that the players and coaches sit at (Coach K definitely wouldn't go for that) or reconfigure the seats.

So, they moved the "fat cats" from behind the basket to the non TV side, moved the grad students the corners of the endzone on one side to the middle of the endzone on the other (ie behind both baskets now), and the undergrads from the part of the non TV side to the corners of the endzone where the grad students used to be. Apparently, the total seating capacity given to undergrads is almost the same as before, just configured differently (and perhaps not as ideally from a viewing perspective -- I'd rather be closer to center coat on the non TV side than the corner of the TV side, but the grad students got a boost). There used to be a rope on the bleachers signaling where the undergrad section ended / grad section began, but no more since undergrads have that entire side now.

So, they did not get "rid" of the seats in recent memory for undergrads, just moved where they are.

[uh_no]

The balloons weren't taken away, they were trying to move them to the opposite end of the floor to help with free-throw distractions in the second half.

First of all, thanks for your work.

The balloons had already been distributed to the grad students on the band side, and were then most definitely taken away...leading to fun sights as students in the back of the section attempted to "float" the balloons over the rest of the section to the guys at the front taking them away from everyone (with varying degrees of success). All I have aside from seeing that happen from upstairs is a second hand account from a staffer on the floor that they were taken away by game day ops.

[grossbus]

"Justise's Instagram handle is "The Chief Justise" "

sounds like a "here come da judge" cheer is in the offing.

"a few years ago Duke took a lot of the downstairs bleachers away from the students (its the side you don't see on TV) and gave them to fat cats how Carolina of them!"

i did not know this. ugh.

[Reilly]

I think it would be cool if the Devil rode in on a motorcycle.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I think it would be cool if the Devil rode in on a motorcycle.
Like the Demon Deacon?

[CameronBornAndBred]

I think it would be cool if the Devil rode in on a motorcycle.


Like the Demon Deacon?
I'll stick with band surfing.

[YmoBeThere]

I'm just curious how much of the "lack of creativity" is self-imposed. Twinkies for Dennis Scott, IIRC, don't remember who the pizza boxes were for, etc. would all be frowned upon from certain circles. At least that is the impression I get.

[YmoBeThere]

Like the Demon Deacon?

Okay, that idea is out.

[OldPhiKap]

I'm just curious how much of the "lack of creativity" is self-imposed. Twinkies for Dennis Scott, IIRC, don't remember who the pizza boxes were for, etc. would all be frowned upon from certain circles. At least that is the impression I get.

If the humor and taste police on DBR are any indication, I suspect you are right.

I think a lot of this has to do with TV, too. In the glory days in old folks' head (mine included) you only had a few national TV games. You could walk up at game time and get in a lot of games. Now, every game is on tv -- hard to bring it every night all season.

I remember the clever games. I kinda blank on the meh ones. But we had them too.

[uh_no]

If the humor and taste police on DBR are any indication, I suspect you are right.

I think a lot of this has to do with TV, too. In the glory days in old folks' head (mine included) you only had a raw national TV games. You could walk up at game time and get in a lot of games. Now, every game is on tv -- hard to bring it every night all season.

I remember the clever games. I kinda blank on the meh ones. But we had them too.

That's a really important point. I think in general people only remember the "good" ones from times past....and it happens everywhere....


Crazies used to be better
southpark used to be better
remember 2010 when a team playing poorly in january turned it around?


but as you point out, we forget the poor games from times past, we forget the teams that were playing poorly and didn't turn it around, we forget the crappy southpark episodes from season 3. I had never considered the TV aspect, though, and it increases the effect....since no one would even SEE the games when the crazies didn't pack it and cheer out of their minds. Now we get crazies, warts and all.

I have no doubt that times have changed, but i don't think it's the of the magnitude that many here make it out to be, and i think there are so many factors at play (K frowning upon cheers aimed at the other team, ops taking away props, moving seats away from opposing teams, cell phones, easier to watch from home, people trying to get on TV more, more student pressure outside basketball)

anyway, thank you for that angle i'd never considered.

[alteran]

Did that really happen? Hear kens back to when we had the court wide, 6 foot high sign that read, "if you can't go to college go to State." That was confiscated as well. If they took the balloons, then you're right, there is not point in attempting to be creative.

Yeah, confiscating the balloons was pretty ridiculous. I think it's silly how the students are micromanaged, and then people wonder why they aren't as spontaneous as they once were, and by golly, why is attendance down?

[throatybeard]

This thread again, seriously?

Native has my proxy.

Crowd noise has been transmitted less loudly by ESPN than by other carriers for at least two decades, possibly longer.

[OldPhiKap]

Boy the way Glen Miller played
Songs that made the hit parade.
Guys like us we had it made,
Those were the days.

And you knew who you were then,
Girls were girls and men were men,
Mister we could use a man
Like Herbert Hoover again.

Didn't need no welfare state,
Everybody pulled his weight.
Gee our old LaSalle ran great.
Those -- were -- the -- day-y-y-ys!!!!!

(Speaking of comedies that you could not do in our current environment)

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Boy the way Glen Miller played
Songs that made the hit parade.
Guys like us we had it made,
Those were the days.

And you knew who you were then,
Girls were girls and men were men,
Mister we could use a man
Like Herbert Hoover again.

Didn't need no welfare state,
Everybody pulled his weight.
Gee our old LaSalle ran great.
Those -- were -- the -- day-y-y-ys!!!!!

(Speaking of comedies that you could not do in our current environment)
Yes, indeed. Those of a certain age recognize the lyrics to the show's theme song while others may have no reason to know it existed at all.

[uh_no]

Yes, indeed. Those of a certain age recognize the lyrics to the show's theme song while others may have no reason to know it existed at all.

maybe sammy davis jr can fill us in?

[Siat]

I was an undergrad at Duke from 2004-2008, now back at Duke for my masters. Comparing the student section now versus ten year ago, here's how I think it measures up:

What's good:
- Attendance is solid, and the crowd is loud. We had a couple poor years of student support in my time (2007 anyone?), and this year is just fine by comparison.

What's worse:
- Nobody jumps. The surging wave of people was always the coolest / most intimidating part of the Crazies IMO and this year it's not happening.
- Grad students aren't stepping up. Many graduate students just don't cheer at all, on offense or defense. We need a new Viking Guy to show us the way.

I've been asked by alumni friends why the Crazies look 'not into it' on TV. If the noise actually is muted (as others are saying), then combine that with a lack of jumping of defense and I could see how it can look like the Crazies have fallen off from the outside. But from my perspective, the Crazies have been good this year.

We've certainly have had worse years of student support (2007, 2012), and these things tend to go in cycles. Someone astutely pointed out that the home schedule this year was pretty weak on quality matchups, but it hasn't seemed to dampen student enthusiasm. ND game was vintage Cameron. If this is in fact a 'down' year, then we're in great shape.

[YmoBeThere]

maybe sammy davis jr can fill us in?

Recognized in 1997 as one of the best TV show episodes ever. It appears to have dropped in the 2009 version of the list. I caught only the tail end of the show's run and most of its replacement. Sorry, I was "only" born in '71.

[bwl5]

It seems like the crazies change according to times. I was there during Coach K's first four years. It was definitely a much more raw type of crowd. I was there for the pizza boxes (BTW that was for Lorenzo Charles of NC State), the Herman Veal incident, and the resulting avuncular letter from Uncle Terry.

But it was a different time. Carolina was king of the ACC and it seemed to the students that Duke did not get any respect. One particular incident that illustrates this is there was at an NC State game we were sitting behind Dukes bench and Billy Packer was near the scorers table before the game and we were giving him an earful. He looked at us, opened his blue blazer and showed us his bright red NC State tie.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

My sister and nephew have both commented during recent games that the Crazies were not living up to their legacy. Seen some posts here that suggested the same thing.

Have also seen responses from people who were at Cameron who said it wasn't true.

Today the presence of the Crazies was clearly evident.

Made me wonder if ESPN is muting the Crazies and other crowd noise during the games they carry.


Any thoughts about this?

This has been a hot topic of conversation on this board and the mid-90's newsgroup for about 20 years. Not a new topic.

[Newton_14]

The balloons weren't taken away, they were trying to move them to the opposite end of the floor to help with free-throw distractions in the second half. And I'd know better than most, because it was my idea — I'm the guy in the ref shirt. The graduate students on the other end either decided not to use them, or — in most cases — accidentally popped them. You'd have to think that those things didn't last more than a half in a hot Cameron building where everyone's going ballistic anyway.

Furthermore, who do you think bought all the balloons? It wasn't a bunch of broke college students, that's for sure.

You probably also noticed the "OUR HOUSE" and "NO MERCY" banners, neither of which was confiscated. Nor were students reprimanded at all during warmups when the undergraduates held up a sign that said "TASTE THE RAINBOW" with a picture of a Devil eating a Leprechaun; these same undergraduates then proceeded to throw around a few dozen packages' worth of Skittles to the crowd.

Yeah, this was the first time Cameron was really Cameron this year. But it was also the first big game we've had. Countdown was Parents' Weekend and the ACC/B1G game was away this year. This was important for our freshmen to see what a good Cameron looks like; we haven't had a big game all year there.

Great post and you bring up something we had talked about out length on the board during the preseason that perhaps has slipped everyone's minds. The home schedule this season sucks to put it politely. Combine that with ticket prices that went to $60, $75, $90, and you have a recipe for not good crowds a lot of nights. I miss the days of big non-conference home and home series with teams like Michigan, Arizona, UCLA, etc and round robin play in conference (Yeah I know, get off my lawn you snarky ol geezer)

As I stated in the post game thread, props to you Native and your crew of Crazies yesterday. I felt the energy the moment I stepped into the tunnel from the concourse and it was crazy loud all game. Like others said, just short or Kerlina loud. The 6th man definitely gets an award for yesterday.

[sagegrouse]

Cool -- as in unexcitable.

BC -- Before Crazies:

Eddie Cameron was the AD. The only time we waited in line was to score tickets for the ACCs or the NCAA regionals (in 1964). No, we didn't stand the entire game. In fact, I liked seats with backs and would often sit in general admission upstairs. We wore Weejuns, button-down shirts and no socks except in the coldest weather. We would pick out one hapless guy on the opposing team during warmups and cheer or ohhhh with each make or miss. The cigarette smoke in the Stadium was a-maz-ing, but then packs cost a quarter at the campus vending machines.

We didn't have to be clever -- there were opposing fans in the Indoor Stadium to hoot at. For the UNC game the Indoor Stadium was about one-third Tar Heels, who would cheer loudly for their team. (UNC at the time had to play in Woollen Gym -- it may have been easier to come to Duke for games.) In fact, one idiot UNC alum pressed assault charges against Art Heyman when, as he was running off the court, Art pushed a UNC male cheerleader who had jumped directly into his path. The yell guy was so clumsy he fell down.

The results were OK. We lost one home game in four years (State); won two ACCs; set a consecutive win streak for conference games; and went to two Final Fours. Then there was the Art Heyman-Larry Brown fistfight.

Good memories -- but the Crazies have been gr-r-r-eat for decades!

[Native]

This is a bit misleading ... According to Mickie Krzyzewski (during one of the "conversations" with the Crazies), they had been disappointed in the noise/disruptions behind the basket of the opponent during the second half (the more important half). That is where the "fat cats" had a bunch of seats, so she was encouraging everybody to make even more noise during fts in the second hair since students where not on that side. The band had a small slice and did their best, but a bit off to the side.

So, in order to have students behind a basket for the opponents seconds half, either Duke could switch the benches that the players and coaches sit at (Coach K definitely wouldn't go for that) or reconfigure the seats.

So, they moved the "fat cats" from behind the basket to the non TV side, moved the grad students the corners of the endzone on one side to the middle of the endzone on the other (ie behind both baskets now), and the undergrads from the part of the non TV side to the corners of the endzone where the grad students used to be. Apparently, the total seating capacity given to undergrads is almost the same as before, just configured differently (and perhaps not as ideally from a viewing perspective -- I'd rather be closer to center coat on the non TV side than the corner of the TV side, but the grad students got a boost). There used to be a rope on the bleachers signaling where the undergrad section ended / grad section began, but no more since undergrads have that entire side now.

So, they did not get "rid" of the seats in recent memory for undergrads, just moved where they are.

This is 100% correct.

[-jk]

To be certain, the crowd last was truly good during you, the reader's, senior year. A decline started shortly after your departure, and nothing has been the same since. The most logical explanation is that the current students are not as interesting or alive as past students.

I think this probably captures the fandom as best as anyone has...

-jk

[MulletMan]

I invented not making Duke fans look like elitist jerks at a basketball game. It didn't take, but genius is rarely recognized in its own time.

You really still think that sign was a good idea?

Sure do. And I think it's great when the Crazies break out the chant too.

Nah you're right. Might as well drop Go to Hell Carolina. And while we're at it, let's condemn "Welcome fellow scholars" too.

[devilirium]

Already happened against Georgia Tech. Will definitely happen again. Same thing with Quinn's Cooks.

The guys in the hats were for Marshall — they're all friends of his and referred to him as "The Bulldozer". That's what the chant was.

"Cookin with Gas!!" chant....has that ever caught on after QC has made plays?....something that I say when he hits a 3 or hits a teammate in stride for a layup.

Regarding the crowd mute...this is happening all over....I was in Charlottesville last Saturday, and it was quite LOUD. I return back to the Triangle to watch the game on youtube, and you can barely hear the crowd.

[YmoBeThere]

I think this probably captures the fandom as best as anyone has...

-jk

Each time I read that post, the more impressed I am with it's brilliance.

[PallasAthena]

The balloons weren't taken away, they were trying to move them to the opposite end of the floor to help with free-throw distractions in the second half. And I'd know better than most, because it was my idea — I'm the guy in the ref shirt. The graduate students on the other end either decided not to use them, or — in most cases — accidentally popped them. You'd have to think that those things didn't last more than a half in a hot Cameron building where everyone's going ballistic anyway.

Furthermore, who do you think bought all the balloons? It wasn't a bunch of broke college students, that's for sure.

You probably also noticed the "OUR HOUSE" and "NO MERCY" banners, neither of which was confiscated. Nor were students reprimanded at all during warmups when the undergraduates held up a sign that said "TASTE THE RAINBOW" with a picture of a Devil eating a Leprechaun; these same undergraduates then proceeded to throw around a few dozen packages' worth of Skittles to the crowd.

Yeah, this was the first time Cameron was really Cameron this year. But it was also the first big game we've had. Countdown was Parents' Weekend and the ACC/B1G game was away this year. This was important for our freshmen to see what a good Cameron looks like; we haven't had a big game all year there.

Thanks for all you do, Native, and also for correcting the misinformation about the balloons. They looked great from Section 3 upstairs, and we predicted they would be moved for the second half. Great work distributing and collecting them. The two big signs received notice from various Twitter accounts during the game, including some media mentions.

Saturday's game against Notre Dame was terrific on and off the court, upstairs and down. Don't ever doubt that the folks upstairs get plenty excited and noisy when the team plays like it did in the first half - one of the best halves of basketball I've seen since 1975.

[Duke79UNLV77]

I graduated in 1991 (thus the name). I go to a game most years, and Cameron is still great, but undeniably not what it once was. It's not all today's students' fault, though.

There used to be a very small buffer zone for opponent's fans behind their bench and a small buffer zone for friends and family of the team behind our bench. BOG, the craziest section in the whole stadium, had an unofficially reserved section also behind the opponent's bench. Some opposing teams took their timeouts out on the floor so they could halfway hear each other. I love how Hurley talks about feeling the floor actually vibrate as he would dribble up the court.

Now, the non-TV side is a watered-down version of what it once was. BOG is long-gone, the victims of their own excesses. The buffer zone behind the opponent's bench has bloated. The buffer zone behind our bench almost stretches to half-court, with padded bleachers to encourage seating. Though I sometimes benefit from seats in this section, I still find it an affront. You can't take out the better part of a side of the prime students' section and expect there to be no impact.

These changes probably are a necessary compromise to keep a hallowed antiquated building in the modern age. If so, so be it. But, it can't be quite what it once was, no matter how spirited the millennials (or whatever they're called now) may get.

[YmoBeThere]

Each time I read that post, the more impressed I am with it's brilliance.
The post by Des Essenties.

[bedeviled]

BOG, the craziest section in the whole stadium, had an unofficially reserved section also behind the opponent's benchIndeed, I remember the fans who populated the tv side being referred to as "media wh*res" because some came to be part of a show and get on tv. There was a definite difference in crowd attitudes/antics between televised and non-televised games.

I think it is natural that the following developments:
1. moving all students to the tv side
2. televising all the games
3. the media repeatedly hammering the story of how crazy Cameron is
would lead to some kind of shift from "doing it for the team" to cheering for other reasons (tv, rite of passage, it's the thing to do, keeping up appearances, popping in to see what it's all about, etc). The influences may be subtle to prominent, and the environment is undoubtably a mixture of all kinds of drives. But, it's a new world, and the Crazies had to evolve along with basketball and Coach K.

I think we can take pride that the atmosphere has, more or less, stood the test of time. Here, we often talk about fan consistency since the 1980s. Three decades of intense fandom!! That's pretty remarkable.

[dbcooper]

Cameron Crazies, PLEASE sing the ABC's to UNCheats again!!! That was epic and awesome!

DB

[OldPhiKap]

"Anatomy of the Biggest Collegiate Scandal EVER..... Agents, Coaches, Chancellors, Athletic Director, Counselors, Administrators, Professors, Advisers, Money, Drugs, Guns, Bogus Classes, Grade Changes, Improper Gifts & Benefits, Faculty, Staff, Athletes, Parents, Felons, Wheels for Heels, Mouth Guards, Tutors, Lawsuits, Court, Investigations, Speeding Tickets, Parking Tickets, Plane Tickets, Multiple Sports and Systemic Cheating,.... Thanks for using Twitter, Marvin!"

Best. Signature. Ever.

[brevity]

Anatomy of the Biggest Collegiate Scandal EVER..... Agents, Coaches, Chancellors, Athletic Director, Counselors, Administrators, Professors, Advisers, Money, Drugs, Guns, Bogus Classes, Grade Changes, Improper Gifts & Benefits, Faculty, Staff, Athletes, Parents, Felons, Wheels for Heels, Mouth Guards, Tutors, Lawsuits, Court, Investigations, Speeding Tickets, Parking Tickets, Plane Tickets, Multiple Sports and Systemic Cheating,.... Thanks for using Twitter, Marvin!


Best. Signature. Ever.

Not to hijack the thread, but yeah, dbcooper took the whole thing and really flew with it.

[dbcooper]

Not to hijack the thread, but yeah, dbcooper took the whole thing and really flew with it.

Anatomy of the Biggest Collegiate Scandal EVER..... Agents, Coaches, Chancellors, Athletic Director, Counselors, Administrators, Professors, Advisers, Money, Drugs, Guns, Bogus Classes, Grade Changes, Improper Gifts & Benefits, Faculty, Staff, Athletes, Parents, Felons, Wheels for Heels, Mouth Guards, Tutors, Lawsuits, Court, Investigations, Speeding Tickets, Parking Tickets, Plane Tickets, Multiple Sports and Systemic Cheating,.... Thanks for using Twitter, Marvin!

Did someone say hijack, plane tickets and taking "Improper $ Benefits"?

---E

DB