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Bowling Green College Basketball Fans

Mar 25, 2002
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For those who know the city well enough to venture a guess, how are the sports fans split in Bowling Green, KY (UK vs WKU vs others)?
 
I lived there from 1998-2005.

At that time it was mainly UK fans who also pulled for WKU; a smaller clique of UL fans who root for WKU and a rare bird who only pulls for WKU and HATES UK and UL with a passion.

I couldn't tell you how it is now, though.
 
The only WKU fans I've met do not like UK. Maybe they're in the minority but that's been my experience.
 
I grew up near BG and graduated from WKU. Even though its been 25 years, I still have friends and family there.

A lot of UK fans there, over 50%, and a lot of WKU fans also like UK (and vice versa). A lot of students are UL fans, because a lot of students come from Louisville, but when they graduate they mostly move back.
 
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I live here now. I'd say the town is 90% WKU fans. Of course, a lot of the students are from out of town, so within that 90% there is a good 30% of people in BG that like UK, and around 15-20% that like UofL, for the reason mentioned above. A lot of the WKU fans really hate UK with a passion, and also do not like UofL that much.

For football (something WKU has actually been worth a damn in for the last few years), its 90% WKU fans, 15% UK fans, and another 15% UofL fans. Split loyalties between WKU/UK and WKU/UL is a lot less than in basketball.

I imagine within the next few years, with the type of teams Stansbury is putting together, UK/UL fandom with drop severely. WKU basketball just hasn't been exciting in a while, which is a big reason some people in BG like UK/UL.
 
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I lived there in 2013. Maybe it was just the people I knew and worked with but they loved WKU and hated UK. They would pull for UL over UK but that was just my experience.
 
I think the 90% figure above is a little high, but there is a lot of support for WKU in BG.
I'd guess that 60% or so of the town are WKU fans, some diehard some casual. The diehards are WKU only and have a pretty big disdain for other state schools. The casual fans typically have other rooting interests too. I'd venture that 50% of BG are UK fans of some sort. Of those 50% I'd say 30% are also fans of WKU. The other 20% are UK only. Not a whole lot of UL fans. There are certainly some, but it's a much smaller presence than WKU or UK.

With the success of the football team and the potential explosion of basketball there are becoming more and more WKU only fans.
 
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I'd say the town is 90% WKU fans.

For football (something WKU has actually been worth a damn in for the last few years), its 90% WKU fans, 15% UK fans, and another 15% UofL fans. Split loyalties between WKU/UK and WKU/UL is a lot less than in basketball.

I imagine within the next few years, with the type of teams Stansbury is putting together, UK/UL fandom with drop severely
[laughing][laughing][laughing][laughing][laughing]
 
I know I root 100% for the Hilltoppers other than when they play UK. State pride...(except for the DIrty Birds)
 
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Thanks, Cyrus. Since you live there, are there parts of the town - regarding living in - you would recommend, avoid, etc?

I assume it depends on what you're looking for. Anything across the railroad tracks is a little more sketchy, but that doesn't mean there's a lot of crime. If I was wanting to live in BG, I know I'd want to be close to downtown. Lots of nightlife within walking distance. Plus traffic isn't as bad as it is out on Scottsville Rd.

All of BG is safe. Crime is pretty rare around here. I've walked through downtown at 2-3AM by myself many times and never felt uneasy.
 
I assume it depends on what you're looking for. Anything across the railroad tracks is a little more sketchy, but that doesn't mean there's a lot of crime. If I was wanting to live in BG, I know I'd want to be close to downtown. Lots of nightlife within walking distance. Plus traffic isn't as bad as it is out on Scottsville Rd.

All of BG is safe. Crime is pretty rare around here. I've walked through downtown at 2-3AM by myself many times and never felt uneasy.

The first house I lived in was across those tracks. The Registry was an old abandoned trailer court, and we had some pretty rough neighbors, but they were always cool to us. Lot's of domestic disputes, though. We moved after a year, and got a place across 31W in the Nutwood\Magnolia area. Walked from downtown to my house many of times, and never once was hassled.
 
I've lived in Bowling Green my entire life, and I can tell you it's mainly UK fans. UK fans who go to WKU will pull for Western as long as they don't play UK, but they aren't really that into it. When I went to WKU there was WAY more UK gear on campus than there was WKU, in fact there was a whole article about it in the school paper basically saying all us UK fans should have just went to UK if we loved it so much.

Now die hard WKU fans hate UK, but I only know like five or six of those people. They tend to be older people who remember the days they were good in the 70's,
 
I've lived in Bowling Green my entire life, and I can tell you it's mainly UK fans. UK fans who go to WKU will pull for Western as long as they don't play UK, but they aren't really that into it. When I went to WKU there was WAY more UK gear on campus than there was WKU, in fact there was a whole article about it in the school paper basically saying all us UK fans should have just went to UK if we loved it so much.

Now die hard WKU fans hate UK, but I only know like five or six of those people. They tend to be older people who remember the days they were good in the 70's,

Not sure when you went to WKU, but that is just plain wrong. I'm finishing my victory lap now, and have been going here 5 years. I almost NEVER see UK anything on campus. Things have changed a lot since the football games against UK in 2012/2013. It's completely different now.
 
Not sure when you went to WKU, but that is just plain wrong. I'm finishing my victory lap now, and have been going here 5 years. I almost NEVER see UK anything on campus. Things have changed a lot since the football games against UK in 2012/2013. It's completely different now.

That's crazy then since I graduated in 2011. Seriously that place was totally blue then, but at the time the football team was ranked dead last in division 1 so times have changed.
 
The only WKU fans I've met do not like UK. Maybe they're in the minority but that's been my experience.
They are definitely in the minority. I'm a two time WKU grad and have lived in B.G. since 1994. Most WKU fans are also UK fans. It's a fact.
 
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