Ladies and gentlemen, I am excited. Thanksgiving is only two weeks away, Brad Childress is still hated, and Duke basketball is soon to be hitting Cameron Indoor Stadium.
This Sunday, Nov. 14, the new 2010 "dream team" will head to Princeton for the season opener.
Most folks hate Duke. I can think of a few reasons why.
First, as my uncle always told me growing up, it rhymes with puke.
Who could argue with that? College students know plenty about the connection between college basketball games, weekend nights and puke, right?
Second, the cost of tuition at Duke University is estimated to be $55,690. Rich school.
Third, Duke has won four national championships in the past two decades, and is a favorite to repeat this season. A dynasty beginning.
Fact is, people hate Duke because they are talented.
Besides the New York Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys, Duke is one of the only teams that Americans choose to hate because of the success it has.
Think about it. When playing youth sports, we are told, "it's all about having fun." Fact is though, when you get older, that trophy looks more and more appealing.
Fans don't flock to the arena to watch SIU-Edwardsville (a real Division I school, not Team Edward) play basketball. The team was 3-23 last season.
Other folks make the argument that they hate Duke because of the priviliged society that most of its players are perceived to come from.
Meet Nolan Smith. This guy's dad died suddenly when Nolan was just eight years old.
Andre Dawkins? His mom is a guidence counselor.
How many of your high school counselors sent their sons to a top-tier college?
Josh Hairston. His dad is a Virginia State Trooper.
That job isn't making triple digits anytime soon.
Yes, for every lost family member or blue-collar parent there are Mason and Miles Plumlee and Casey Peters, who have parents that are attorneys, but that shouldn't distract a basketball fan from realizing that the players aren't playing on a championship team because their parents put them in the school.
It boils down to this: Duke basketball is hated because American society tells us to cheer for the underdogs.
For me, Duke basketball provides an occasional few hours of relaxation, allowing me to kick back and watch some of the greatest basketball this world has to offer.
Coach Krzyzewski's genius will bring Duke victories, just as my television will bring me closer to basketball heaven, where the Blue Devils come to play.
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