From the deepest desires often come the deadliest hate. - Socrates
I also asked for an explanation as to why this disdain goes right to the core. What followed explained the anatomy of sports hatred as well as can be imagined. Varied, layered, and complex, let us take a look at not only what makes us hate, but who we direct our vitriol toward!
1. It is simply in the blood.
As @Kugrlovr , @KilroyFSU , @NolesFan86 , @timbe2 , @rocknreza and @brendanloy all pointed out from the get-go, it shouldn't be all that surprising.
USC fans are bred to hate UCLA fans from a young age. Young Texas A&M fathers toss and turn at night contemplating the day when their son or daughter could don the burnt orange of Texas. Reminds me of a quote from the former French general and president Charles de Gaulle:
Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own come first.We are all nationalists today!
The question still stands: Why do you hate them so much?
2. It's a YOU problem
Many of the responses tracked back to bad experiences that individuals had with a certain group of fans. These teams aren't necessarily your rival, but the animosity isn't any less evident. @JJSportsBeat and @NatalieCGordon took issue with the arrogance of the SEC...(and a jab at Boise State, who along with BYU and Texas, garnered the most individual disdain.)
When @DJ_Beckett mentioned his contempt for all things Wyoming, @StoneMQ responded as any rational individual should:
Oh, Mr. Stone. This is sports. Trivial is not in the lexicon. And trust me, our Wyoming friends have less-than-glowing things to say about BYU fan.
3. You robbed me of greatness.
Two of the USC fans that responded mentioned a hatred for Texas. I found this interesting considering the only matchup I can remember between the two powers took place in the National Title Game. Didn't think there would be time for bad blood. Think again. @TrojanMikeG and @SportsStilettos set me straight.
4. You were lucky.
Resident Washington Huskies fan @krizoitz didn't go for his natural rival Washington State. Perhaps it is inhumane to hate something so weak and fragile. UW dude opened up on all things SEC...only to specify that Oregon gets his wrath. And for funny reasons too.
5. You are beneath me.
@jlvip echoed a sentiment that was common among haters, "Be more like my favorite team you unwashed mass."
6. Self-Flagellation
One of the best responses came from my friend @albolte, the only New Mexico fan I know. Bless his heart.
Your sacrifice is noted, sir. God bless.
7. If you weren't so damn ignorant and stupid
Our own @bhein3 laid out a case as to what would drive him to hatred.
8. You haven't met hatred until you have heard me discourse
Our man @WyoNationFans spoke for the entire Mountain West, Western Athletic, and any other conference in which BYU has been a member.
Care to expound on that?
What team do you love to hate? Why? Comment below or get at me on Twitter @zbloxham
4 comments:
I'm going to put all the smiles and LOLs behind for a minute and be totally serious and candid here. I HATE Utah - to the same extent Max does. He was my voice and the voice of several in my family when he lashed-out at the end. Please bear with me as I share several personal experiences which have brought me, over a period of over 30 years, to this point.
1. I had an older cousin who got his undergrad at BYU, but post-mission became an uber-intellectual and talked himself out of his testimony, and he took his wife and his kids with him. He wound-up as an assistant law professor at the U and was completely insufferable about all things BYU/LDS when the family was gathered. It got so bad, he and his little branch of our family finally became mutually-ostracized. Remains to this day.
2. 1980, Rice-Eccles Stadium. One of my walk-on years at BYU. I was not suited-up but was with the team on the bench/sidelines. As we entered the stadium, we were hit by several urine bombs tossed down by the parents(?) of the current-day MUSS. This also happened in Laramie, but I'll confine these comments to Utah.
3. Four or five years ago, my daughter and son-in-law were on a scooter in post-game traffic next to the Marriott Center after a BYU - Utah game. As traffic started moving and they went to pass a car full of Utes, a kid in the back seat threw open the door, trying to hit them, and my SIL had to swerve sharply and nearly dumped the bike.
Granted, these are just three little vignettes, and other Cougar fans have certainly endured more abuse and far worse abuse. But these things DID happen to me and my family and have definitely shaped my 'hatred' of all things Utah.
I know there are some level-headed, decent Utah fans out there, but my problem with them is that they don't police their own crowd and shout-down or call-out the disgusting ones. Utah has, I believe, one of the biggest on-campus LDS Institutes in the country. Why do thousands of Utah LDS students tolerate the vile, vulger, profane religious bigotry which has built and festered for 40+ years (and that's just in my personal frame of reference)?
Anyway, it goes very, VERY deep with me when it comes to Utah and completely transcends the football field or basketball court.
Very well said. All good points and I think that all cougar fans have similar experiences. I also have similiar experiences with Boise State fans which is why I mentioned them. Living in Boise made it bad, now that I am in Pocatello I don't even hear anything about them and the fan base is the minority.
Who did I root for in the NC game last year? The refs! No i think I pulled for Oregon only because of conference pride and a desire to not see an SEC team win again, but mostly I was hoping a meteor would fall on the stadium.
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