FanPost

Maturity is Key

There has been a lot of talk about this evening's game between our Rival,The Hoosiers of Indiana, and UK. To me it is quite simple, if you can't find it in yourself to cheer on the Hoosiers over UK, it's a maturity issue. Now that I've got a good chunk of people really pissed off, hear me out...

First and foremost, it's not about the fan bases. I don't like the fan bases of either team, and both make me want to vomit on a weekly basis during basketball season. But when I cheer for the Hoosiers tonight, I'm not cheering for their fan base. 2nd, it's not about the coaches. It's entertaining to poke fun at Coach Crean, and it's absolutely frustrating to sit back and observe Calipari single-handedly destroy the integrity of college basketball. But when I cheer for the Hoosiers tonight, I'm not cheering for Coach Crean (More on Calipari later). 3rd, it's not about the rich and storied traditions these two schools boast about every day of their lives. Facts are facts though ladies and gentlemen, and both of these programs have a rich basketball tradition. But when I cheer for the Hoosiers tonight, it isn't in hopes that their traditions grow even richer.

So what is it all about? Why cheer for the Hoosiers tonight? Cheer for the Hoosiers tonight because they are a B1G school. Cheer for the Hoosiers tonight because they are an Indiana school. Cheer for the Hoosiers tonight because they play a beautiful brand of basketball very similar to ours (an Indiana brand; that being the state of course). Cheer for the Hoosiers tonight because of a player like Verdell Jones III who gave all of himself for four years to a team that was rebuilding and a coach that had an ambitious vision, only to have his dream of ever playing in the NCAA tournament snatched away from him in an instant. Cheer for the Hoosiers tonight because John Calipari doesn't care about what it means to be a Student Athlete, and I can guarantee that Coach Crean does. Cheer for the Hoosiers tonight because quite simply, in my opinion, they deserve it more than Kentucky does, as they've done it right since Coach Crean has arrived on campus.

I know that I'm not going to convince everyone to believe what I believe and see what I see, but I thought I would try, because Indiana is going to need all of the help they can get. I care about college basketball, the definition of a Student Athlete, and Student Athletes like Verdell Jones III way too much to let the hatred of another team get in the way of my values. Cheer for the Hoosiers tonight because it is better for College Basketball as a whole if they win. If you can't do that because you "hate" the Hoosiers too much, I've got two words of advise. "Grow up."

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