Nowadays, there’s a whole lot of anger out and about in the world of sports. Just look around. It seems like everybody is mad at somebody over something or other. I’m sure New Orleans Saints fans are mad, still smarting from that horrifically bad non-call that cost them a trip to the Super Bowl. Bill Belichick looks mad, despite the fact he just won another Super Bowl. Everybody, including Dick Vitale, is mad at the refs and the delays caused by instant replay. Yep, he’s mad. Well, I’m mad at Dickie V for loving so much on Duke. Anyway, you get my point—there’s ire, there’s fury, there’s moral outrage everywhere you turn.

Fortunately for Kentucky, PJ Washington got mad and his teammates responded with a come-from-behind 65-54 road victory over the Florida Gators. Despite the win, Kentucky fans—known for their undying love and passion for their Basketball Wildcats—will forever be mad at the national media over the lack of respect afforded their hardwood heroes. Their team wins big and nobody seems to notice. It’s a conspiracy! Why does everyone outside of BBN hate the Cats, you ask? Let me count the ways.

1. This first one’s obvious—they hate us because they ain’t us. Eight national championships, 17 Final Fours, the all-time NCAA wins leader, and the greatest tradition in the history of college basketball are magnets for opponent enmity and venom. There’s nothing like a dose of Big Blue envy to stoke the fires of jealousy among the have-nots. “The history,” explained Seth Greenberg of ESPN’s GameDay crew. “You’ve got five different coaches with national championships here. It’s about the program. It’s the people’s program…We go all over the country. We never see anything like this. And that’s what makes Kentucky, Kentucky. Just the genuine passion and ownership people have in the program. You lose a game and everyone’s on suicide watch.”
2. They hate us because of John Calipari. As much as he’s done for the players in his program and the communities he’s served, ignorant outsiders still view Kentucky’s Coach Cal as the Antichrist—a convicted cheater ruining the game’s purity through his exploitation of the one and done system. It doesn’t matter how many basketballs he autographs, how many hospitals he visits, or how many telethons he sponsors, negative perceptions about him simply will not die. “No one hates us,” Calipari quipped after the Florida win. “People do hate us? Do they hate me? They don’t hate me, do they? Why would they hate me? What have I done?”
3. They hate us because we’re BBN. We’re everywhere—on social media, traveling to road venues like a swarm of blue locusts, and defending our program like an ambulance chasing attorney. It’s not like we’re intentionally haughty, or conceited, or wanting to get in your face. It’s just that we’re protective of our team and don’t want them talked about in a disparaging manner. You spout fake news about our program and we’re going to make you pay. “I just look at it as they’re all people whose opinions don’t matter really,” said freshman guard Tyler Herro when asked about the haters. “They’re just people who don’t like me or us for no reason really. I feel like a lot of people didn’t like Grayson Allen. They don’t like good white players. That’s how it is.”

Now that the Cats are on a roll, winners of eight straight and finally moving up in the polls, the torch and pitchfork crowd will undoubtedly show up in force—and THEY’LL BE MAD! Mad because Kentucky came and ruined their Super Bowl celebrations. Mad because swaggy Cal has his team primed for another scorched-earth march to Minneapolis. Mad because Kentucky is relevant again in the hunt for title number nine. Mad because Tyler Herro is white. Mad because Reid Travis is smart. Mad because Ashton Hagans stole their souls.

Why does everyone hate Kentucky? Freshman point guard Immanuel Quickley summed it up best. “Actually, I still don’t really know how much people hate us,” he said innocently. “I thought people loved us. But I guess people do hate us too. It comes with it. Good and bad. Any team you go out and play, you want to beat. But I guess especially Kentucky, with the rep that we have, everybody wants to come out and beat us. Just have to be ready to play every game.”

Hey BBN, forget about the haters. Let’s just get ready to play every game…and to win it all. Then we’ll see how really mad everyone else gets. #UnitedWeStand!

Dr. John Huang is a columnist for Nolan Group Media. If you enjoy his writing, you can read more at www.huangswhinings.com or follow him on Twitter @KYHuangs.

Check out his most recent UK Sports coverage at http://www.themanchesterenterprise.com/category/uk-live-breathe-blue/