Why are we like we are?

[the nail at the foul line]

I think the fact that we kept so many small schools up until about the 1980s played a huge role. Small schools couldn't really play football. Basketball could be played. In a great deal of the state by the time basketball came along, farming was mostly over other than stripping tobacco.

I realize Hoosiers was Southern Indiana but Kentucky is similar.

 

[Skyguyb27]

My son was born exactly one year later on 1/16/19! We watched Herro and co. punk Auburn on the road from our OB room at UK hospital.

She was actually born the 15th but it was pretty much all one day. No sleep that night lol. She was a month early but doing great now.

 

[CaptainBoogerBuns]

Our football fans travel despite our record. A LOT of us do. I find our football fans to be incredible. I think it's pride in our state school.

 

[EliteBlue]

I grew up in the western part of the state. So, maybe I am less enamored with horse racing as those in the central part of the state. But, basketball has to be no1 for me.

Do we really dominate the horse racing business like we have basketball?

If you’re asking if we dominate it from a national perspective comparatively to other places that do horse racing? The answer is yes.

61 Reasons Lexington is the Horse Capital of the World

Which city is considered the Horse Capital of the World? Surrounded by over 400 horse farms,

www.visitlex.com

There is a county in Florida that trademarked “horse capital of the world” and tries to claim it….but not a soul outside of that county would relate horse racing to there. I’ve traveled all over the US with the military and when I’d meet new ppl and they’d find out I was from Kentucky, the first 3 things they mentioned was horse racing, bourbon, and basketball….w KFC as an honorable mention.

Kentucky having the biggest/most well known race in the triple crown and the World Equestrian games choosing Lex as their first American city host shows the states influence on the horse racing industry

 

[R.O.T.Muckinfush]

I’d recommend watching the History of the SEC Basketball docuseries on ESPN+. Covers this quite well. Short answer, we live in a mostly rural state with too many hills for football. We don’t have professional teams and Rupp was kicking everyone’s tail in dominant fashion.

Too many hills for football? Reasoning is borderline retarded.

 

[CaptainBoogerBuns]

Too many hills for football? Reasoning is borderline retarded.

Yeah. Thank goodness for Vol fans East Tennessee is flat.

 

[B.B.H.]

Too many hills for football? Reasoning is borderline retarded.

Quoted the documentary dude. Don’t shoot the messenger

 

[SmokinGun9]

I'm sure the state having no pro teams and no decent college football programs has something to do with it, along with tradition.

I love their reasoning on denying a pro franchise. They say we wouldn’t support it. They brought minor league baseball to this state, it drew a million fans. But we don’t support pro sports? Louisville would be perfect for an NBA franchise. They keep turning them down. Their loss

 

[R.O.T.Muckinfush]

Quoted the documentary dude. Don’t shoot the messenger

Just pointed at the comment whomever originated it.

 

[RunninRichie]

Just pointed at the comment whomever originated it.

It's literally just luck, some schools struck big on a football or basketball coach. Way back in the 30s or 40s, and that coach built those programs up. And attracted other great coaches to follow their legacies. Until they became legendary programs. UK could have been that, if Bear Bryant stayed. But he left and Rupp stayed. So we are a basketball school. Not because "its too hilly". TN has literally the same geography as KY and they're a football school.

 

[Allcats08]

I can’t even begin to say how many times I’ve watched an old game from 10 years ago in the the middle of June, in the middle of the day on YouTube haha

 

[*CatinIL*]

I’m in the mid 30s bunch as far as age of fan group goes. First memory I have of watching a game was the Umass game where they beat us in 95 our championship year. Why do we care so much about it? How did this all start? Other programs have rich traditions but I don’t feel like they care like we do. Why is there so many of us? Why do we have big crowds at every road game and dominate nuetral site games. How did that happen? Why do we live and die with every play throughout the season, keep up with recruiting non stop in the offseason, fill rupp arena every year for the first practice. Watch tape of the games, and watch the good games over and over 5 or 6 or 7 or maybe 10 times in the span of a month. Why is there so many die hard Kentucky fans? How did this happen? And I wouldn’t wanna live another kind of life

 

[JonathanW]

Also the home of the Kentucky Three-Day Event every April at the Horse Park, one of only about six five-star TDE's in the world.

For those unaware, a Three Day Event is basically a triathlon for horse and rider. Dressage, Cross-Country and Stadium Jumping. Cross Country Day is always the last Saturday in April, with around 30K fans lining the apx. six mile course with between 30 and 35 massive jumps. WELL worth going to see, it's an amazing and very photogenic spectacle.

Interesting, but I never heard of it (or a TDE). Although I guess this may be why a golf-friend’s wife went to KY (8hr away from Raleigh) to complete in a horse event earlier this year.

 

[Gators1853]

Why you ask? Because someone at the University of Kentucky had the wisdom to hire a 29 year old high school coach who was a basketball genius and stayed around for 42 years. This man build the program on a solid foundation, not sand. He instilled in your g-grandfathers. grandfathers and fathers pride and a desire to be the best.

This foundation has given 5 different coaches the resources to win national championships and carry on a winning tradition decade after decade. Although the man won 4 NCAA titles and retired with more wins than anyone in college basketball history he felt if the program failed after he was gone, he would be a failure. He wanted the UK tradition to last forever. And it has.

Someday UK should build a statute of him and place it on the UK campus.

 

[Myotis]

Interesting, but I never heard of it (or a TDE). Although I guess this may be why a golf-friend’s wife went to KY (8hr away from Raleigh) to complete in a horse event earlier this year.

We’re less than two hours from the Kentucky Horse Park. My wife competes in TDEs as well, though not at the five star level. There are many lower level such events around the state as well as at the horse park.

Besides being a competitive equestrian, my wife is a former UK varsity basketball player and was captain of the field hockey team.