I’m going to start off by saying that I’m a completely reasonable person until you mention the name Hansbrough or start a phrase with the word Carolina. Keep this in mind.
High school is four years of your life. You’ll probably remember your high school quarterback or point guard for only that long. But the typical college sports experience last for a lifetime that is the difference between high school and college sports.
I’ve been a Tar Heel in spirit since as long as I can remember; I’m not even in college and I’m already tracking the days until March madness 2012-UNC Dream Team repeat? I think so.
This type of fanaticism (yes I admit it – I’m obsessed) is what creates the intense rivalry that exists in college sports.
It’s North Carolina vs. Duke, Michigan vs. Ohio State, Auburn vs. Alabama.
The influences of these schools extend far beyond the students as well: the ESPN announcers, the alumni donors, kids of alumni and the college communities all play a vital role.
In high school it is almost impossible for this large a fan base to exist. You can’t blame anyone or anything for this difference besides the nature of educational systems.
For the sake of argument, I’ll compare Langley vs. McLean basketball, with UNC vs. Duke basketball. Both are within a short distance of each other. Both have good sports. Cough, cough: Duke football is a joke, McLean lacrosse is less than spectacular.
Take the inappropriate chants that exist on both sides of Langley and McLean student sections. Compare them to the student sections at the Dean Dome and Cameron Indoor Stadium.
There are insane similarities, but the atmospheres vary in extremities: in high school, the inappropriateness exists in the chants, in college it gets more physical.
The first thought that comes to mind is ‘Speedo guy’ in 2005: a fervent Duke student stripped down to nothing but a minuscule royal blue Speedo and insisted on dancing, forcing UNC’s Jackie Manuel to miss two key free throws late in the game.
His stint had nothing to do with the actual teams, but somehow impacted the game. The same with Langley and McLean chants and cheers that don’t seem to pertain to the team as a whole, but add an enthusiastic fan atmosphere that no doubt impacts the game.
According to Lena Welch, a freshman at UNC, college fans are more organized, so the chants are all supportive of our team. We love our school, but at the same time hating Duke is also part of how we show that we love our school.
On the other side of Tobacco road, the fervency exists too. “Duke cheers are for their fans, they harass the other team, but they do so respectfully and that is what makes their crowd so great, said Coach Hess.
The problem exists when high school fans try to become college fans. Dare I mention the bleacher incident last year?
Enough said. In college, you have more freedom than high school, but also more control. Save that crazy fanaticism for the time and place in college, on a contained and well-maintained campus. For now, just try to direct your enthusiasm on game day to be respectful with just the right amount of conviction.