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My Response to anti-Duke sentiment everywhere.

I must admit it openly, I am a Duke fan, and it is full-blown. I can't help; I was born that way. I am not one who hops on bandwagons, for I do remember all to well the year Duke didn't make the NCAA tourney (i guess it was only one year). My point today is to give light to a few erroneous assertions.

(1) You should hate Duke because Coach K is a foul-mouthed man. Might I first of all point out, if you are looking a great coach with 'Christian character'...well, good luck. If you hate Duke because of Coach K's vulgarity, your reasoning is in error.

(2) You should hate Duke because they are shown on TV too much. I don't think I remember too many Carolina games not being shown. By the way, Duke does happen to be one of the most popular teams in the country (as far as fans in every state). Coaches do tell their players, watch Duke, they do this well. My coach said this, and he is staunch UNC-only. Perenially good teams get good network coverage. This has generally been the case in sports. You don't watch golf to see number 125 on the money list do you?

(3) You should hate Duke because JJ Redick is way over-hyped. Yes I have heard this. To this statement I reply, "Are you kidding me?" I remember watching announcers praise the way Michael Jordan would drink his gatorade. People typically didn't hate MJ or the Bulls. Announcers point out every missed free-throw JJ misses. They question his defense. If over hyping means being overly critical about minute details, well, I guess I concede. After all, JJ has scored 40 twice this year...on the road... against teams that will be high seeds in the tournament. He will wind up being the ALL-TIME leader in the NCAA in 3-pointers made. He will be the ALL-TIME leading scorer at Duke. That's elite company people.

(4) You should hate Duke because Coach K controls the referees. First of all, I am a referee. I can tell you, referees of that caliber do their job well. Secondly, when a coach is right about a bad call you make, and he happens to be in the Hall of Fame, you tend to listen. That's not unfair. That's life. I would also like to know the last quality coach who made an assertion like this. I mean, of course every opposing fan in the building thinks this way. So, you mean to tell me you are going to listen to bias fans argue that the officiating is bad.

(5) You should hate Duke because many a fan base has copied the Cameron Crazies. Oh wait, that one wasn't supposed to get out. I guess imitation is the highest form of flattery.

(6) You should hate Duke because they always win. Well, you'll just have to get over it. Some things just don't change!

***This document is a partial requirement of a Duke fan's response to anti-Duke sentiment based in Chapel Hill, NC.***

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