A Nation ... In Quotation Marks

It’s so funny to see a fool make a fool of himself. It’s also sad. These days it’s exponentially funny and sad, because we’re watching a self-proclaimed “nation” of fools make fools of themselves.

You know what I’m talking about. All the f-words and other profanities spewing out from the bruin “nation” like a busted sewer line releasing seven years of raw frustration and inferiority complex.

We know the profanity is just a cover for their inability and unwillingness to compose a defensible point of view or engage in worthwhile debate. But it’s the lack of respect for their alma mater, let alone our rivalry, that is so foolish.

The latest case in point comes from a “nation” blogger named “Tydides” who attempted yesterday to take Erik McKinney of WeAreSC.com to task “for his whiny little rant about how the Big Bad Bruin fans bruised his ego on Saturday.”

We’ll let McKinney defend himself in full, if he cares to dignify “Tydides” with a response, but we only need a few paragraphs to illustrate the point here. Wrote “Tydides” (if you can call it writing):

I can see taking this stand if you were a guy who doesn't like the trash talking, and doesn't participate in it. Who attends the games to merely support his own team. But what do you say to a guy who cries about not only getting beaten and taking his lumps after what his own fanbase had been doing for the past 7 years, but then readily admits to this:

Now, I'm a huge supporter of taunting at athletic events. I hate Duke basketball with a passion, but I appreciate every single clever chant the Cameron Crazies come up with. The guy who got to Phil Jackson by reading aloud, during a game, from Jackson's basketball memoir, "Maverick," is one of my personal heroes. I even love the "Hey batter, batter" chant in Little League.

You heard it yourselves. This "humanitarian", and I don't mean that in the Pom Pom way, is a staunch advocate of taunting. And not just adults like Phil Jackson, but taunting Little Leaguers too apparently. 12 year olds. Yes, we should all take a lot of stock in what this asshole defines as being a "classy fan".

Unlike my buddy UCLA Jay, this “Tydides” character apparently knows a little something about purposely taking a statement out of context. Or perhaps, just like UCLA Jay, “Tydides” simply failed to understand the point McKinney was trying to make. Reading a better portion of McKinney’s piece provides that understanding:

I could honestly not imagine a fan base behaving worse than the Bruins on Saturday. I know that every team has its loonies and people who go a little too over the top. And I understand that this is a rivalry game, and a recently lopsided one at that. But seriously? Is this what the USC-UCLA game is going to turn into?

Now, I’m a huge supporter of taunting at athletic events. I hate Duke basketball with a passion, but I appreciate every single clever chant the Cameron Crazies come up with. The guy who got to Phil Jackson by reading aloud, during a game, from Jackson’s basketball memoir, “Maverick,” is one of my personal heroes. I even love the “Hey batter, batter” chant in Little League.

But for UCLA fans, apparently clever taunting is a foreign concept. It’s not like they were hurting for options. At the time, Reggie Bush was faring considerably worse in the NFL than Maurice Drew and he still has the whole housing thing hanging over USC. Matt Leinart wasn’t exactly lighting things up in Arizona. O.J. Simpson overdosed on crazy pills and wrote about it. The Trojan quarterback has an obviously anatomical last name. And they handily defeated the team who beat the Trojans. They could have gone after any and all of those.

Heck, they could have even gone after the question of back-to-back championships, explored the basketball angle or taken the academic superiority stance.

But they didn’t do that. Instead, they decided to learn all the various uses of the “F” word and how to raise only the middle finger on both hands.

Again, what kind of fans make up this “nation”? McKinney gives this “Tydides” person all the anti-USC material any bruin worth his salt could throw in our faces. And yet, “Tydides” chooses to end his post (without a single link or empirical reference to support his argument) like this:

You reap what you sow.
Fuck you, Erik.
Fuck southern cal.

GO BRUINS.

It’s a shame really that one of UCLA’s greatest moments of triumph should be dragged through the knee-deep crap continually dumped by a “nation” of idiots.

Make no mistake … we’re not talking about a group of renegade bruins on a bandwagon. This is a “nation” of UCLA graduates … so they claim. These aren’t gap-toothed [put any SEC school here] fans with 8th grade educations, who couldn’t spell “yooniversity” let alone get on the internets and start a blog.

These aren’t drunken or adrenaline-pumped fans getting carried away at a game or post-game party. The people of this “nation” are lucid and typing at their computers with a top-notch U.C. system education at their disposal … supposedly.

Just ask our friend UCLA Jay. He’ll tell you all about … or maybe not.

Turns out UCLA Jay is “UCLA” Jay, if you know what I mean. Turns out his real name is UNLV Jay … or maybe something different altogether. This he admitted when he thought no one was looking:

Few Things....

Joe Francis the "Girls Gone Wild" guy went to UNLV not UCLA. As a UNLV alum, I remember a frat there that everyone wanted to be in because of Joe Francis, problem is, they're all dorks. But from what I hear, he donates big time to the frat. And before everyone starts talking shit about UNLV, all the rumors are true. You have never seen paid athletes until you have been on campus at UNLV, and yes, anyone can get accepted, as I am living proof. Also, since a certain un-named SUCk website is calling me out as to when I became a UCLA fan, I was born and raised in LA, have had season tix for football since I was 10 years old and yes even as a student at UNLV I made the drive home for the games. […]

by UCLA Jay on Thu Nov 30, 2006 at 09:35:51 PM EST

Oh, no. Say it ain’t so, Jay! Did you really just tell us that you’re living proof of your own low standards. Did you really just brag to us that you have first-hand knowledge of cheating athletes at your true alma mater? Did you actually know Joe Francis, or are you one of those dorks?

We already know the answer to one of these questions, because we know that Joe Francis didn’t attend UCLA, and we know that he didn’t go to UNLV, either. He’s actually a USC alum. Not that we’re necessarily proud of this fact, but it is a fact … which is more than can be said for anything coming from UNLV Jay, apparently.

And, yes, I did question UNLV Jay’s fandom … thanks for the answer. LOL.

So, now we have to ask: What other lies, imposters and other idiots make up this bogus “nation"?

Keep in mind that this “nation” represents an institution that produced such dignified and respected sports figures as Arthur Ashe, Rafer Johnson, Karem Abdul-Jabbar, and perhaps the greatest athletic hero of the socially conscious 20th century, Jackie Robinson.

Keep in mind that this is a “nation” of fans who supposedly revel in the rich history of an unmatched basketball heritage, while properly honoring at every home game the living legend who created it.

And so, we have to ask this presumed bruin “nation”: What would John Wooden think if he read your “trash talk” in absence of thoughtful argument? What would Robinson or Ashe think of your simpleton profanities?

Do you really believe they would be proud to read the crap oozing out of your “nation” … or would they smack you upside the head?

You know the answer. It’s not funny, actually. It’s just sad.

Again, I ask … is there any dignity left?

WE ARE SC! Fight On!
.