In a recent ESPN documentary about the cultural impact of the “Fab Five”, former Michigan player Jalen Rose proclaimed his animosity towards the Duke Basketball program. Rose explained, “I hated Duke, and I hated everything Duke stood for. Schools like Duke didn’t recruit players like me. I felt like they only recruited black players that we Uncle Toms.” The racial reference has created a firestorm that has been analyzed and scrutinized in publications all across the nation. While the debate is certainly fascinating, the focus here is less about the inflammatory remarks and more about the hatred of the Blue Devils that has enveloped that program over the last two decades.
Distaste for successful sports teams is certainly not uncommon. Dynasties are respected, not beloved. Every October, baseball fans of all franchises unite in their hopes that the New York Yankees will end the season without another World Series trophy. What’s odd and unique about the distaste for Duke is that it’s a collection of college kids, not highly paid professionals. College teams, even highly successful ones, normally don’t receive this type of animosity. The UCLA Bruins of the 60’s and 70’s were commended for embodying the purity of basketball, a well oiled, fundamentally sound machine. John Wooden was universally adored for his homespun Midwestern sensibilities and colloquial sayings about life.
Coach K, on the other hand, is reviled. He’ll never be America’s favorite grandpa, the way John Wooden was. Coach K is hated for the way he portrays the Duke program as the symbol of everything that’s right with college athletics. His kids, by and large, stay out of trouble and graduate. He’ll never pass up an opportunity to tell the masses about how special the Duke program is and maybe that’s part of the animosity. It’s that holier than thou attitude that encompases all things Duke. The way national broadcasters depict the Blue Devils also contributes to the hatred. Dick Vitale, the bombastic blowhard, fawns all over Coach K. He spends many broadcasts yelling and screaming about how no teams play as hard as Duke. Even more irritatingly, Vitale often preaching the gospel while Duke isn’t even playing in the game he’s analyzing.
It’s not just about Coach K and the broadcasters though. It’s overly enthusiastic players with limited skills slapping the floor before a big defensive possession, playing defense by falling down underneath driving offensive players and seemingly always getting the beneficial calls. It’s Christian Laetnner stepping on an opposing player’s head and JJ Redick taunting crowds in unsympathetic arenas. The public hostility towards the program can often mask the reality.
The truth is, Coach K does deserve the adulation in the same way that John Wooded did. He’s built a powerhouse of a program at a small private school with high academic standards (although lowered for his players) while competing against in state rival North Carolina. He’s won a gold medal while coaching a team of professional players in the Olympics. He’s set to become the all times wins leader in the history of college basketball. When he does, the national media will extol his virtues and deservedly so. Just don’t expect the American public to join in.
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