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Growing up in NC, plenty of people pulled for all the schools who didn't attend. I mean, you can't be a college alum in elementary school. There were a few "houses/divided", but among most folks I knew the whole family went for one of the teams. I grew up knowing more State fans than I do now, but like I said, I live in Chapel Hill now.
If you look, my comment didn't include children. That's a completely different issue altogether. They will tend to support a team based on what's perceived as "cool" and being "cool" is usually correlated to marketing and overall team success.
I think that the answers to this question depend a great deal on if you are an eastern or western Triangle resident.
Yeah, probably a verifiable statement for sure, but remember that there are more than twice the number of people in the eastern Triangle than the western Triangle.
As a UNC grad, I agree that State has a very enthusiastic fanbase, especially in Wake County. I'm not so sure that it's something to brag about, however, because that hunger for success has led to some pretty wacky behavior.
From my perspective, the rivalry took a really bitter turn a little before 2000. State fans seemed to give up on the basketball tradition, and decided they were going to be the next football powerhouse. Their coach was really fanning the flames of the rivalry, and State grads I worked with were eating it up. It seemed to transform from a more good-natured rivalry to something deeply personal. I remember discussing it with other UNC grad friends, and we had all pretty much stopped talking sports with State grads.
Things should improve if State gets back on track and starts winning national championships again. The UNC-Duke rivalry seems to have a better balance to it, with both schools having plenty of recent success. I hate Duke sports in a good-natured way, where I can smile about it and trade a few friendly jabs with their fans. I sense that many NC State fans now have a genuine hatred of UNC sports, students, alums, and the entire institution. It's really unpleasant to engage in a sports conversation with people like that.
CHTransplant, I think you and I travel in pretty different circles.
I know plenty of UNC fans who go to the games, watch the away games on TV in a big festive crowd, and are generally very vocal about their support of the team.
We may very well - I think my neighborhood has more folks from Duke than UNC.
UNC-CH "fandom" to me is typified by what you see on the television broadcasts of their home games - for football, a ton of empty seats, and for basketball a bunch of seated, slightly older folks who exhibit little excitement at the game other than a few rare moments - usually involving Duke. (I know that the section on camera isn't representative of the entire crowd.) A very polite and staid form of fandom.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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Being out here Chapel Hill, I see very little NC State stuff. Most everyone I am around is a UNC fan with a small minority of Duke fans. Most people I know are associated with UNC in some way - either a professor, doctor, other staff member, alumni, or current student. It's always nice when I head to Raleigh and go into a store and see some red clothing for a change.
Disclaimer: These are my observations. I, myself, am not a UNC, Duke or NC State fan.
If you look, my comment didn't include children. That's a completely different issue altogether. They will tend to support a team based on what's perceived as "cool" and being "cool" is usually correlated to marketing and overall team success.
That's true you did specifically say adult fans. What I'm saying is very different than the kids supporting "what's perceived as 'cool'", though. I don't agree with that at all.
I was saying, when I was growing up in NC, and as far as I know it's still this way with NC natives, couldn't say on transplants, mostly a whole family rooted for one team (occasionally a "house/divided"). My family always pulled for the Tar Heels. My mom did not go to school there. She was from VA and went to school in GA, but she pulled for the Heels. My sister did not go to UNC for undergrad although she did get a grad degree there. I know my brother and sister still do root for the Tar Heels and their adult children do, too, even though they live in VA and Manhattan and have never lived in NC. They came down at Christmas and went to a UNC game. It's that whole college basketball in NC as religion thing. Were you raised Baptist or NC State-ist? Presbyterian or UNC-terian? Episcopalian or Duke-alian?
In Cary, Morrisville, RTP, Apex and Raleigh I see far more NC State stickers on cars, license plates, etc. than I do other schools. It isn't unless I'm in Chapel Hill, Carrboro or parts of Durham that I see a change, and then it is a very quick change to majority UNC.
Cary seems to be hardcore NC State, Raleigh leans towards NC State but is super divided in general. I'm originally from northern Wake County, and my whole high school was divided between NC State, UNC, and Duke. Plenty of ECU and App State fans, as well.
As for teams outside NC, anyone agree that Clemson might be the most popular in the Triangle? Coming in behind Clemson, I'd probably say Virginia Tech and Virginia. I rarely see any SEC support around here, as the Triangle might take the cake for being the most hardcore "ACC country" in the nation.
As an outside observer I would have thought Duke. It seems their basketball games are broadcast all over the country much like ND football games. We regularly get Duke games on the networks up here, and to a lesser extent UNC games as well. Rarely do we ever see NC State or ECU. On my visits I did notice that NC State seems to dominate the clothing racks in the various stores around the Triangle. And I do see alot of NC State bumper stickers and flag banners around the area. I also see alot of Pitt and Syracuse flags, banners and bumper stickers also, lol.
Here in Johnston, I would say it's a tie between NCSt. and ECU. As far as support for out of state teams: Let's Go....Mountaineers!!!!!!!
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