BTI's Rants and Ramblings: Louisville is a Bigger Rival but I Hate Tennessee Much More

I really do think living in the city Louisville puts those UK fans into a different situation than the rest of the state.  Yes, people like me and Matt and one million other people have to live with, work with, socialize with tons of UL fans.  And because of that you do see the worst of their fanbase.  And they certainly do have a bunch of people that fit the stereotype that many have built of what a UL fan is.  But to be honest, you also come to find that the majority of their fanbase is fine.  They are normal fans who love their team, cheer hard for their team just as hard as we do.  They really stress over the UK game but in general they live their normal lives without acting like baffoons. For me, the fanbase that I hate the worst is TENNESSEE.  I hate them because their attitude is undeserved.  I hate them because I don't have to interact with them on a daily basis and instead develop my opinion of them from their worst fans, based on a stereotype.  Look, UK fans are cocky about their basketball team.  And we’ve earned it with 8 national titles and 391 conference titles.  Tennessee seems to have a cockiness that is undeserved on both the football and basketball side.  Have they ever been to the Final Four?  Bruce Pearl got that program to a very respectable place, and he cheated to do it.  On the football end, they WERE a once great program, but I’m sorry, that time has passed.  San Francisco once won 2 straight national titles but I don’t hear their fans squaking.  Then on top of that, the players they usually have on the basketball team are the most unlikeable in the SEC.  Tony Harris, Wayne Chism, Scotty Hopson, Ron Slay, just to name a few.  Here is what I wrote about Tony Harris during Tennessee Hate Day on this website a few years back: “Yeah BI***!!  I am whippin your a** (as he scores his 4th point of the game with 3 minutes to go).  You ho’s can’t stop me (as UT claws it’s way back within 15 of UCONN).” And then Harris would proceed to cheap shot somebody for his 5th foul, and then continue to talk sh** to everybody who would listen, which would be nobody. Here’s another analogy:  Tony Harris was like Don Barzini in the Godfather.  He was cocky, thought he was the best Don, and tried to murder Don Corleone (in this case Tayshaun Prince).  But then he gets shot by the Corleone’s coming out of courthouse, which is appropriate for Harris.  Because Tayshaun was really, really good, and a gangster.  I’ll be honest, I don’t care if you talk smack.  Lebron James can talk smack.  Tony Harris CAN NOT talk smack.  Wayne Chism CAN NOT talk smack.  JP Prince CAN NOT talk smack.  The only guy I can remember that could talk smack at UT was Chris Lofton, and he never did AND battled cancer. Tony Harris is Tennessee athletics for me.  I don’t have daily interaction with their fanbase so I can only develop why I hate them from the worst of the worst.  Much in the same way that many of you out in the state only develop your UL feelings from seeing and hearing about the worst of the worst. So, am I in this boat alone that Tennessee is more hate-worthy than Louisville, or are there many of you that feel the same way?