Greater Loyalties to your High School or Your College?

I’ve only lived in the state of Kentucky in my life so I do not have a great reference point for this belief. But it certainly seems like folks in Kentucky take a little extra pride in their high school than you might see in other states. Sure, high school football in Texas is a different animal, and one might say not exactly a positive thing for 14-18-year-olds to have to deal with. But I feel like in Kentucky people take a special pride in their high school in all sports. I have a group of friends who attended Lyon County High School and they were so excited about winning the boys’ basketball championship this year. But if the Lyons were in the state baseball tournament I would be getting the same kinds of texts I did with basketball.

My alma mater, Pleasure Ridge Park High School, is now in the quarterfinals of the state baseball tournament tomorrow. I never played baseball at PRP. But I will be following the score on Saturday like I played shortstop for 4 years. I think many people go to high school sporting events who don’t have kids on the team, have never played the sport, and have never had kids play the sport. There is just a sense of community pride that comes with your high school’s success in sports.

So here is my question. You have the option of 2 choices:

OPTION A: Your High School Wins the State Championship in Whatever Sport You Want Most

I know for some larger city schools, like Lexington Catholic, McCracken County, and St. X, winning state championships happens often. But for most of the state, the chance to win a state championship comes once in a generation sometimes. And the teams and players that accomplish those championships become legends within their communities. You will likely have stories to tell for the remainder of your life.

OPTION B: UK Basketball Wins the National Championship

I chose basketball for this reason. I think if I offered UK football a national championship, the heavy majority of fans would pick that because it’s never happened before. But if it’s men’s basketball, it’s something we’ve done plenty of times but crave for more. Whereas your local high school may or may not have won a state championship before. So just how bad do you want to see UK basketball win another national title?

So I played tennis growing up. If you told me that PRP tennis would win a state championship, I would absolutely be fine with guaranteeing that UK basketball doesn’t win a national title that year. Hell, I would take a losing season once if it meant my sport won a state title. But that is largely because PRP tennis has never sniffed a state title. Much like Lyon County, you may only get one good chance ever to do it. I think everybody’s answer would largely be situational. If your school is traditionally successful in something, I think you might lean towards UK winning. If you have the opposite, you might choose your high school. Or maybe you will always have local pride over state pride?