You look around the arena. You notice everyone is proudly wearing blue and have the look of pure joy on their faces. The ages range from newborn up to over 100. The newborns, born into this crazy fandom of the Big Blue Nation, the older, well they’re the ones who created it.
One of the most amazing things about the Big Blue Nation and Kentucky Basketball is the notorious feeling of family. It started with the original fans and has trickled down from generation to generation, creating a family affair of Kentucky fans. You’re looking around Rupp Arena and you’ll see kids with grandparents, parents with kids and any other combination you can imagine. It’s awesome.
For me, it’s always a combination of me and my dad, my uncle or my great uncle, sometimes all four of us together, ages ranging from 23-81. There is no bond like the bond over Kentucky Basketball. One of the best parts is that you’re able to connect with the older generation and learn more about what the teams were like back then, especially if you talk to someone like my great uncle. I’ve never met someone that can spew facts dating back before the Dan Issel days, but he sure can.
I’ll get sappy with you now. My Papaw was a really big Kentucky fan. Sadly, he passed away when I was in 6th grade, so I was never able to really share the Kentucky fan connection, as I was into my own sports and middle school is just an awkward time for everyone. It honestly makes me sad to think that I’ve become such a big fan of basketball, especially Kentucky and will never be able to share that with him. However, the void has been filled with my great uncle, who I’ve basically adopted as my own and we do a lot of fan-esque things together.
You can take my word for it, or you can check it our yourself, Kentucky Basketball is a family affair, creating bonds like never before. Next time you’re at Rupp Arena, just take a look, becoming a member of the Big Blue Nation starts from the moment a child is born and lives forever.
If you have a story of how Kentucky Basketball is a family affair in your life, feel free to share that with me!
