Why State Fans Care

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Two decades ago, us State fans suffered the indignity of investigations into Jim Valvano’s basketball program by the NCAA, Poole Commission and even the SBI, as well as a vitriolic assault by the local media and Board of Governors. (Click here for a must read that integrates nicely into today’s entry.) As a result of our self-imposed sanctions, we found ourselves suffering through the degradation of the 90s. By the way, the aforementioned investigations revealed nothing beyond minor infractions, and even then-UNC System president C.D. Spangler admitted that only “the spirit, not the letter” of the law was broken, and the NCAA found the University’s internal punishment satisfactory. (Read more about this here.)

Just imagine if we’d done things the way they do now over at The Flagship.

Some of my closest friends and family are Carolina fans; heck, most of them are even the rarest kind: alums. I don’t base my friendships on college loyalties, and in fact I enjoy the bickering and feuding with my friends and cousins. Still, I’m no different than any other true State fan, reveling in the public deconstruction of the arrogant elitism of the Carolina Way. The average Carolina fan will tell you that the only folks who care about this scandal are obsessed State fans, and I won’t argue otherwise because the reality is the average Carolina fan simply hasn’t been paying attention.

Since the Carolina Way’s poster child Marvin Austin (literally, see below) kicked off this scandal on his Twitter account last summer, the leadership over at The Flagship has done nothing but obstruct the investigation (sorry, “review”), evade legitimate questions, and, of course, lie. But this isn’t a story about Holden Thorp, Dick Baddour, and Butch Davis, because they’re nothing but spokesmen for the average Carolina fan, who has long championed the supremacy of their ideology. Yet after it failed them on such a monumental scale, the average Carolina fan has responded not with outrage but instead with passive indifference.

Meanwhile, it’s a “truth” those of us that endure Thanksgiving dinners, tailgates, and moments around the water cooler have long appreciated: The Carolina way is all hat and no cattle.

And the average Carolina fan could care less. They’re neither indignant nor embarrassed that Butch Davis hired the notoriously-sketchy John Blake and then went out of his way to build a system based on avoiding compliance. They’re not angry that Thorp and Baddour have shamelessly spun, stalled and redacted their way through this investigation. This should be seen as a disgraceful representation of the greatness of the Carolina Way, but it isn’t.

John Wayne said “A man’s got to have a code, a creed to live by, no matter his job.” The Carolina Way should have been that type of code for Carolina fans, but now they’ve finally realized they’ve lived their whole lives amidst a giant lie. And the great tragedy here is that they don’t care.

And when the dust settles they’ll have hitched their wagon to a horse that in four years has a single bowl victory and zero wins over lowly N.C. State, which doesn’t even have a catchy ethos of its own like Carolina once did.

Quite simply, the reason State fans care so much about the UNC football scandal is because, well, someone has to.

About LRM

Charter member of the Lunatic Fringe and a fan, loyal to a fault.

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67 Responses to Why State Fans Care

  1. tag42481 06/23/2011 at 11:44 AM #

    rtpack24, I’m not sure you’re thinking big enough. If 08 or 09 basketball gets wiped out, they wouldn’t just lose the ACC title. They won the whole thing in 2009. The one year I win the public lottery for Final Four tickets, I have to watch Carolina, of all teams, win the NCAA tournament. Maybe Carolina would have to vacate the national championship!!

  2. SuperStuff 06/23/2011 at 11:53 AM #

    If I’m not mistaken Jim Valvano as AD invited the NCAA in to look at the basketball program. After finding no issues with grades being changed as was the intent of the investigation they only found questionable minor issues. In the end the lead investigator sent him a letter stating if he had a son he would love for him to play for V. In UNC-Cheaters the NCAA came roaring in on their own. Not by invitation.

  3. lawful 06/23/2011 at 12:00 PM #

    Please welcome me to the fray. I’ve struggled for months to get an account and as you can tell, I’ve met w/success.

    For those who question how Butch can somehow survive this, I suggest you take a closer look at Alpha Wolf’s comment above. There are always bigger forces at play. I wouldn’t be surprised if some sort of buyout is not in the future. It is extremely difficult to see (a) UNX putting up w/this considering the unbelievable shame this has brought on, and(b) Butchie riding this out to the end. Can anyone tell me what his longest tenure has been? I don’t believe he’s one to let moss grow under his heels (snicker). The damage to his reputation at the D1 level (or BS level, whatever we call it these days) is immeasurable. He has to be looking for a jump back to the NFL. What’s he waiting for? The last time I checked, there was still a lockout in place that has everything at a total stand still. Let’s see what happens once that’s resolved and before the NFL season begins……

  4. ClassOf95 06/23/2011 at 12:07 PM #

    I think I disagree with the post in as far as it seems to attempt to cover all hole fans. I think a lot of them are in shock not denial. And I’m talking about the grads not the high school dropouts that bought a UNC shirt and now run their mouths. Who cares about them. The Chapel Thrill grads I know seem to shut down with numbness when it’s brought up. They know. They just can’t respond.

    Also, hopefully I’m not blind but I do not see TOB allowing anything like this to happen. Butch, yeah. Tom, I’d be floored. In fact (and this may be a stretch) I wonder if the fact that we don’t play these games is why we don’t go after/land too many 5star recruits?

  5. highstick 06/23/2011 at 12:09 PM #

    And “we” thought Chicago politics was dirty? There’s no question about the “Mob at the Top” running things over there, but they’ll “time Butch’s Exodus” to when it benefits them the most..

  6. Hungwolf 06/23/2011 at 12:14 PM #

    Great article. One thing I have always apprecited about Chapel Hill is their fans are a far cry from the typical Wolfpack fan. Average Tar Heel fan to me is a bit of Hick, High School or less education, chain smoker, that turned on the TV, turned the volumn off to turn on the radio and hear the game called by the Woody “the word of God” Durham. And they believe every word he said while sucking down a cold Miller. I am grateful UNC-Cheat exist in the state or else we might be stuck with the idiots as State fans!

  7. Hungwolf 06/23/2011 at 12:17 PM #

    I think “highstick” is right. I haven’t seen any vote of confidence from anyone regarding Butch’s job security lately. Maybe I have missed it, but it has been noticeably absent in my opinion.

  8. Lunatic Fringe 06/23/2011 at 12:36 PM #

    Butch is Baddour’s bargaining chip with the NCAA for a lighter punishment. It is just a matter of time before they heave him under the bus regardless of what can be “proven”.

    As I said before, I want them all there to reap what they have sown.

  9. Gowolves 06/23/2011 at 12:41 PM #

    Highstick

    I was born in NC and always thought that when I heard the term Carolina it was Chapel hole. From now on I will no longer refer to UNC that way. “Carolina” is now USC! The real Carolina.

    Go Cocks!!!(as long they are not playing state)

    Thanks for idea kool k.

  10. packhammer 06/23/2011 at 12:48 PM #

    Answering the detailed Notice of Allegations is most likely to generate yet more questions and damaging information. October 28th is the hearing. Yes, a Friday, but it doesn’t end there. There will be a ruling and sanctions after the hearing. Maybe by December? Then of course there will be an appeal. This mess will go well into 2012. And its not like they will be cleared of wrongdoing. At this point shouldn’t they clean house, plead guilty to LOIC, and agree to sanctions? Whatever adults are in charge at Unc or the BoG have to be concerned about getting this stopped and damage control underway. Why would they want this to drag out for another 6 or 12 months? Maybe it is too late for that I dont’ know.

  11. section2chuck 06/23/2011 at 12:51 PM #

    I have a couple “Carolina” Gamecocks shirts, that I like to wear to work or out and about just to piss off any UNC fans that may be around….My favorite is the grey shirt, with “Carolina” in garnet across the chest….

  12. Master 06/23/2011 at 12:55 PM #

    UNC’s NCAA hearing is on October 28th. We play them one week and one day later on November 5th. I’m sure there will be some “informed” catcalls available for the game that date – something more than “Cheaters.”

    By the way, instead of booing them when they come on the field, we should just laugh at them. Being laughed at is always much worse than being booed.

  13. section2chuck 06/23/2011 at 1:00 PM #

    Or the we can all give them the “you’ve been bad finger”…like you give little kids….

  14. kool k 06/23/2011 at 1:01 PM #

    Sample sentence to use with UNC-Chapel Hill people: I couldn’t live in Charlotte, too many Clemson and Carolina fans. Tarheels too.

  15. highstick 06/23/2011 at 1:01 PM #

    I’ve listened to the “who is the real Carolina” argument for years and love to “yank the chains” of both sides on occasion.

    You will always get the “Well, just go look it up! UNC was the first state supported college and is older that South Carolina”.. You can always trash them with the “you are right..However, where was the original capital of the Carolinas? Duh, it was Charleston which would indicate that the state of SC as remains was the original, without regards to who had the first university.

    But then, they could always counter with, “Well, Sir Walter Raleigh settled North Carolina first”! So that makes us older…to which you can retort “and he got his group lost too, didn’t he?”!!

    I do suppose that the UNC fans could be “remnants of the Lost Colony”???

    It’s fun playing with the hardheaded fans of both groups. It gives you more appreciation for your “superior education that you received at NC State”!!!!!!!!!!!!

  16. kool k 06/23/2011 at 1:16 PM #

    I once had a 2nd job interview with a large insurance company (based in Columbus, OH) The interviewer was telling me about himself and how he played football for the Gamecocks. “I played football for Carolina” he said. “Oh, you mean South Carolina” I said. I did not get the job.

  17. Gowolves 06/23/2011 at 1:17 PM #

    I think when Chapel Hole comes to Raleigh we should have our band play the South Carolina fight song. That would piss them off. Total disrespect! Hold up signs that says “SC is now our rival”

  18. old13 06/23/2011 at 1:18 PM #

    highstick, I believe that the Carolinas were actually originally part of “Virginia!”

  19. kool k 06/23/2011 at 1:23 PM #

    Let’s not get too carried away. SC is a lackluster state that claims John Edwards and employs too many hp that harass good drivers like us driving through.

  20. howlie 06/23/2011 at 1:31 PM #

    Article is appreciated, but it smooths over a wound that was nearly fatal & left us maimed for decades.
    It’s akin to saying “Al Qaeda had some ‘disagreement’ with US perspectives & really didn’t mean to cause as much harm as they did.”

    You’re going very easy on some malicious people from the UNC BoG, to the N&O Media, to alarmed people in the EweNC AD’s department & fanbase that saw us surpassing them in every sport across the board, who then sought to absolutely destroy our university athletics department, and now making it a reason we have to explain ourselves.

    DECADES of media stalking & venom have led to the devil’s door at UNCCH, & now everyone’s supposed to look the other way–because THEY SAID SO? Excuse me?
    We’re talking multiple counts of criminal behavior in the Athletics Department that has been sanctioned by, & covered up by the AD, the Chancellor, & the BoG’s… not to mention the highest law enforcement agency in the State wanting to ignore it? Excuse me?

  21. patientwuf 06/23/2011 at 2:00 PM #

    “And the average Carolina fan could care less. They’re neither indignant nor embarrassed that Butch Davis hired the notoriously-sketchy John Blake and then went out of his way to build a system based on avoiding compliance. They’re not angry that Thorp and Baddour have shamelessly spun, stalled and redacted their way through this investigation. This should be seen as a disgraceful representation of the greatness of the Carolina Way, but it isn’t.”

    Well put LRM.
    Let me add a direct quote from all my UNC friends and my wife(UNC Alum)-“As long as it’s not basketball”. UNBELIEVABLE!!
    THEY DO NOT CARE.

    My hope is that the Carolina leadership(that’s a joke) continues with their stall tactics, compounds their problems into an athletic department bombshell that exposes even their squeaky clean basketball program.

  22. highstick 06/23/2011 at 2:02 PM #

    Old, that’s why I don’t get too carried away with it, but I’ve tracked my “roots” back to Virginia before we got to NC in 1744.. Tarhole fans can’t focus on too many facts…

  23. patientwuf 06/23/2011 at 2:24 PM #

    Got this qoute from the Wilmington Star. Some Tarholes get it.

    ”
    Butch knew nothing about a rouge tutor, who he employed at his house, who he grossly overpaid, who somehow was rich enough to pay $1700 in parking tickets for FB players; he hired a known cheater (Blake) who worked as an agent & he failed to monitor; he who knew nothing of the Blake, tutor, player trips/gifts; he made no calls on his UNC issued cell ph (used his personal cell).
    So why did UNC hide parking tickets, which Thorp said were issued to cars, not students, behind FERPA, which applies to student academic records, were the cars taking courses too?
    I am ashamed a school I went to sold their integrity for this fool and will now vacate all wins from 08 & 09, keep BD, all for the sake of building their program.

    by Mike

  24. wolfpacker 06/23/2011 at 2:36 PM #

    The ones that count are the BoG, acc commissioner, and the BoT and none of them get it. They are so used to doing it this way, they thought it was just part of winning. It’s an ABSOLUTE JOKE AND EMBARRASSMENT to the citizens of this state. When told of the issues and allegations, the BoG wanted to know how the recruits were going. THEY DON’T GET IT!

    They are more concerned with who they are recruiting rather than how they are recruited, if they can actually get through an academic semester (which I seriously doubt any one of them could), or if any violations had occurred. This is the BoG of the university system of North Carolina? WHAT A JOKE! Political corruption at it’s best and the truth will come out.

    The tutor isn’t talking because she’s been bribed, otherwise what reason would she have for not talking?

    To say that these public figures have failed the citizens of this state is being nice. These guys are a joke and are making themselves look pretty stupid, nice work, keep it up. Just goes to show that the education we received at NC STATE was much better than what the give out at unc-cheat.

  25. graywolf 06/23/2011 at 2:38 PM #

    After 20+ years it’s time the pendulum swing back the other way……..I hope its a really LONG 20 year swing for the heels as well…….. may they suffer immensely!!!! An may all their wal-mart fans stop buying their product and they suffer a money crisis as well.

    One can only hope.

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