Consumed by hate

Much of the world has been celebrating “Louisville Hate Day” for the last 23 hours or so, including the very site you’re visiting now. There’s no better time to make one’s feelings known regarding Kentucky and Louisville’s undying rivalry, as the team’s are set to face off on Sunday to open their respective seasons. But I’ve noticed a concerning trend with “Louisville Hate Day”, and I’d be remiss to ignore it. Too many people are being consumed by the spectacle and forgetting to support Kentucky along the way. I’m not an apologist nor a party crasher, but I’m more worried about supporting my Cats than condemning some meaningless Cards.

“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s apathy,” author Leo F. Buscaglia once said. “It’s not giving a damn. If somebody hates me, they must ‘feel’ something, or they couldn’t possibly hate. Therefore, there’s some way in which I can get to them.” It might be an obscure quote from an even more obscure man, but he makes a point. By reaching so deep into hatred, Kentucky fans are exposing themselves and giving Louisville the smallest glimpse of power. By hating them, you enable them.

And that’s the last thing we want. Do I loathe Louisville? Of course, and I intend to show my feelings by disregarding them altogether. Louisville is just another game in a long schedule. They deserve no more recognition than that. They are just the first piece of the puzzle, no bigger than the rest.

Kentucky is about winning, success, and tradition. It’s not about spectacle. Even when it comes to Louisville.

“Never waste a minute thinking about people you don’t like.” Dwight D. Eisenhower got it right. My support of Kentucky isn’t reliant upon a focused hatred of their rivals. I express my Louisville hatred by discussing and promoting Kentucky, ignoring their inferior in-state rival as nothing more than a blip, and going in to Sunday’s game wanting to win, not wanting to defeat someone else. Why spend time thinking about Louisville? Like Dwight said, it’s wasted.

Kentucky fans are better than Louisville trash-talking. We absolutely can’t be consumed by hatred. The only thing we should be consumed by is a burning desire to win.