Basketball grudges

Random aside: My gender-stereotyped 2yo son seems to have figured out the gist of most sports without my help. I was very diligent about explaining all kinds of sports to the 8yo....we still discuss details fairly often when watching a game. But the 2yo? I mean, I'm sure he's been around when I was talking sports with the 8yo. But he's so busy, I don't see how he could have been listening. Yet I sat with him tonight watching March Madness, and he tells me what's going on in the game.

So now, the 2yo is in bed, and I'm faced with a major dilemma. Whom to cheer for in the UT-Louisville game? Both are significant rivals of my fave college basketball teams -- Memphis and Vanderbilt. Memphis and Louisville are both conference-hoppers, but several times, they've been in the same conference -- usually the two best teams. And tonight, it looks like Louisville may kick UT in the pants.

I'm really conflicted. I am not excited about Louisville doing so well [up by 11 with just a few minutes left in the first half], but I'm certainly not going to cheer for UT. I feel like I do when two hated teams play in football -- I'm wishing the tie were available.

But this situation got me to thinking -- I have always prided myself on not holding grudges. [Haha it cracks me up just to say that. Get it, being proud about it? Pride is a sin? Nevermind.] But now that I think about it, when it comes to college sports, I've got a ton of grudges. Here are some of the teams I hate:

• UT - Definitely the biggest
• Duke - Right up there
• Florida - Do I really need a reason?
• Louisville - Explained above
• LSU - Thanks to general air of scandal and several beatings they have administered to Vandy over the years
• Notre Dame - See Florida
• USC [the one in California] - Just because
• Ole Miss - I'm still not over that whole Rebel flag thing. Likewise, I have negative feelings about the state legislature in South Carolina.

Below that top layer, there's a whole group of teams I'd just as soon cheer against as cheer for: Michigan, UCLA, Colorado, Kentucky, South Carolina, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Nebraska.

I'm not sure what all this means. Because sports are superficial and without real meaning, right? Is that enough to excuse all these grudges I have? I'm grasping here, OK?

Comments

[Cole]

Just to clarify for anyone that lives outside of Tennessee, when Laura refers to UT, she means the University of Tennessee. Not the real UT. ;-) (BTW, hook 'em, Horns!)

And I seriously urge you to move OU to that top tier. There's nothing to like about those inbred SOBs.

[Kate]

Can I just say that, by far, you are my most brilliant friend. Your third bullet point in the last post was so spot on that I talked out loud to my computer (who is a terrible listener).

Anyway, I totally get your listing of rivals, in order. First, nobody likes Florida, unless they are an actual graduate of the school. Two, Justin recently pop-quizzed me on Georgetown's rivals, in order. I think I passed. Poor guy doesn't know what to do with himself. Gtown is out and he's last in his own pool. This is worst than last year when Vandy played Gtown and I had to silently root for the hometeam.

[lcreekmo]

Haha, why thank you. :)

Also [maybe now is not the time to mention this to Justin], I thought about adding Georgetown, but then I thought, Naaahhh, not worth the effort. :)