The men's basketball Wildcats released their own Black Lives Matter video this week. Based on social media, looks like it'll be a lot easier to score tickets for home games this season.
The reaction from many in the Big Blue Nation proves that, contrary to popular belief, something really can get between the rabid fan and the Wildcat. It's called racism.
Now we know the average Kentuckian will go far out of their way to "support" their favorite team until members of that team suggest their lives are important, too. Cat fans have forgiven missed shots, bonehead plays, bad actions off the court, and even recruiting scandals but many draw the line at seeing that kid in the uniform as a human being.
They're basketball players these pseudo-fans cry, it doesn't matter what they think. Their lives are ours to put value on, not their own to defend. How dare they try to be relevant? These guys need to go play at Louisville where they belong!
At least this helps clear up why certain Cat fans have so much hatred for Louisville, if it wasn't obvious before. If it hasn't hit you yet, it has nothing to do with not liking Cardinals.
Louisville has historically had the highest African American population in the state which is the one and only reason many Kentuckians despise it. I've never understood that because 1, I'm not a racist and 2, Louisville is one of the best cities in the country blessed with a vibrant, multi-cultural identity. It's one of the few real cities an east Kentucky hillbilly could get comforable in.
It's full of hard working people, great places to eat, exciting things to do and is still in Kentucky which can't be said about Cincinnati. Louisville just about has it all.
But it's not a perfect place. It's a place a person could get killed in their own bed by armed intruders. But it's a lot less likely to happen if you look like me.
Louisville has been one of several ground zero locations for the Black Lives Matter movement. The murder of Breonna Taylor, an emergency medical technician, brought the reality of too many cops killing too many people into stark reality for many Kentuckians. Breonna was killed in her sleep by a handful of police botching a no-knock search warrant. The person they were looking for was already under arrest. The evidence they were seeking did not exist.
Since June, thousands of Kentuckians of an assortment of skin colors have protested peacefully for justice in Taylor's death. A small handful have taken advantage of the situation and instigated destruction and more death. The death cult, led by Mitch McConnell, have tried to paint the demonstrators as anarchists and rioters. They underscore each lie with "if you think this is bad just wait till you elect someone else".
That's the kind of thing demagogues and tyrants try to convince you of. Given the reaction to a group of 18-21 year olds asking their fans to put value on their lives, we know many Kentuckians will choose a white tyrant over a black saint every time.