At this point, we’ve seen enough Reddit sports-hate maps to know the problems that come with them. The surveys are typically only open for a few days, the data is coming from a small pool of Reddit users and contributors can easily rig the vote. Still, the flaws of the data mining is part of what can make these so interesting.
This college basketball HATE MAP proves no one likes Kentucky and Duke
The college basketball hate map is here, and it is as predictable as you might think.
Streeter Lecka
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Also: it’s August and nothing else is going on. Hate map ahead!
Some observations:
- There sure is a whole lot of blue on this map! As we've seen on the MLB map with the Yankees and the NBA map with the Lakers, America still loves an underdog. The flip side of that is good old fashion sports hate for the most successful teams in each sport. In college basketball, that's Duke and Kentucky. Duke and Kentucky typically get the best recruits, make deep runs in March every season and are coached by men who may or may not be deplorable for completely different reasons. Success binds them and that success also makes folks hate on 'em.
- Inside their own states, Duke and Kentucky aren't the most hated teams, which is still a bit surprising. Louisville is apparently more detestable than the Wildcats in Kentucky. The Tar Heels being more hated than the Blue Devils seems like one of the more curious things on this map. Maybe Duke grads are just really into Reddit.
- Given the way Arizona has been recruiting the state of California lately, seeing that big "A" sprawled across the state has to have UCLA and USC fans simultaneously nodding in agreement and cursing Sean Miller's existence.
- Football rivalries still count for something even when we're talking about college hoops. Does a Caris LeVert vs. Sam Thompson matchup really get the sports hate flowing? Probably not, but the football rivalry between the Wolverines and Buckeyes doesn't even dissipate during basketball season.
See More:
