Big Blue Nation

The Big Blue Nation is a term, incorporating the trendy "nation" metaphor for American sports fans, used to describe the fan base of University of Kentucky (UK) athletics programs, particularly the men's basketball team. It is a reference to both the signature color of UK athletics (blue), and the fact that UK fans often make up a disproportionate majority of the crowd at most venues where the Wildcats play. Their near-ubiquity, in fact, sometimes transcends the borders of their actual nation, with anecdotal evidence suggesting that the Wildcats men's basketball team once even drew a sizable horde of blue-clad supporters at an exhibition game in Japan.

In his book The Winning Tradition: A History of Kentucky Wildcat Basketball, Bert Nelli records that many rival coaches consider Wildcat fans to be among the most knowledgeable in the country, and former Wildcat Jack "Goose" Givens, who later played for the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, noted that UK fans are generally more interested and informed than the typical NBA fan.

'Citizens' of the Big Blue Nation often go to extremes in showing their support. It is not uncommon to see fans with everything from blue wigs to bodies covered in blue paint. These fans are known for being fiercely loyal to yet, at times, impatient and highly critical of, their beloved Wildcats. Former coach Tubby Smith drew the ire of his fan base because of a perceived decline in the quality of both recruiting and on-court play.

Records

The UK men's basketball team was first in the nation in home court attendance from 1978 to 1984 and again from 1996 to 2004. In the intervening period from 1985 to 1995, they trailed only Syracuse University for the top spot. After again finishing number 2 to the Orangemen in 2005, the Wildcats reclaimed the top spot in 2006.

The Wildcats also played Michigan State University in 'The Basketbowl' on December 13, 2003. Held at Detroit's Ford Field, the game set the all-time attendance record for a men's college basketball game at 78,129. Members of the Big Blue Nation were not disappointed, as the Wildcats pulled out a 79-74 victory.

External links

• A Sea of Blue - a popular blog that claims to be "The Online Home of the Big Blue Nation"
• Heart of Big Blue nation beats from the last row - article from The Kentucky Kernel

References

• Nelli, Bert (1984). The Winning Tradition: A History of Kentucky Wildcat Basketball. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky.