36% Don't Give a Damn

http://www.wral.com/sports/story/2534495/

In a recent poll conducted prior to the Feb. 5th matchup between Duke and Carolina, 40 percent of the 969 respondents said they would be pulling for Carolina.

Twenty-four percent said they'd be pulling for Duke.

So what of the the missing 36%? They, apparently, could care less.

Yikes, Duke fan...fewer people in this state will be pulling for your team than the folks that just don't care.

I guess I'm somewhat amazed, despite one of the most impressive streaks of prolonged winning dating back to the late 80s, that there aren't more Duke fans in this state. Yeah, they are a smaller private school, and Carolina has a much better alumni base in the state. Still, if winning is what builds your non-alumni fanbase in the area, then why aren't there more Duke fans in this state?

Maybe it's because Duke--by virtue of its Chicago-born coach and student body comprised of mostly New Jersey-nites(?)--just doesn't connect with a southern audience? I don't know...that seems overly simplistic.

In any event, I think it's funny that nearly as many folks really don't give a crap about who wins this game than those pulling for one of the teams. Maybe this game isn't the megaspectacle, at least here in NC, that ESPN and everyone else would have you to believe.