I used to date a girl who grew up in Eastern Kentucky and lived in Clark County. She HATED it when I referred to anything not Louisville as "out in the state", so naturally, I did it all the time. Our relationship didn't make it.

 

Along those same lines, I don't know if there's a bias against NKY specifically, if only because I don't give much credence to anything outside the Gene Snyder Freeway, which would include NKY... and all the rest of ya.

 

So you and goldie didn't work out?

I live in the sticks of rural Kentucky, worked 20+ years here and worked 20+ years for a company (as consultant) based in Louisville, but from my home office. I did periodically visit the office & Louisville. Also, I have attended probably 40+ state tournaments spanning a lot of years.

 

* Yes, a great many Louisville residents "look down" on the rest of the state. Some don't realize it & some don't care, but their vocal or written expression voices that pretty clearly.

* Yes, a great many in the rest of the state have a dislike for Louisville (perhaps an inferiority complex?).

* Yes, most of the state looks at the metro areas (Louisville, Lexington & NKY + several others heavily populated cities) and feel that they have extra advantages over the rural areas because their schools are larger and the private schools have open school district boundaries.

* Yes, you will see prejudicial fan support exhibited at the State Tournament in favor of the "rural schools", some of which may be danged near as large as some metro area schools.

 

But by & large I don't perceive any particular bias against NKY teams that's any worse than any of the other metro area schools. It's all human nature and I don't think you're going to see that change.

 

You live in a metro area and you have certain advantages that those who live in rural areas don't have. You live in rural areas and you have certain advantages that those who live in metro areas don't have. Big deal, by & large I think the officials do their best to call it fairly as much as it is possible for a human being to do (although sometimes some of them come up a lot shorter of accomplishing it than others :no:). Ultimately it all balances out, although not always just right in any given year.

goldie is a cougar!

Every year there are 15 regions saying the same thing,,no bias, just alot of folks sounding off because they didn*t win,,not sure the crazies have actually won over NKY. I read and article in the Lex herald years after the fact where Hurt actually stated it was an incorrect call..

 

I'll never forget the front page of the courier journal(or whatever it was back then)the next day........had a picture of Dr. Hurt and his hand in the cylinder!

Guys, gonna let you in on a little secret. Just like the "average" Kentuckian doesn't know there is more to western KY past Elizabethtown (I say that kind of in jest, but kind of not too), the "average" Kentuckian doesn't really recognize or have any relationship to NKY and all the schools up there, and many actually think of the area as more belonging to Cincinnati than being part of KY. Hey, I have actually heard KHSAA refs from far western regions refer to Beechwood and Highlands both as private schools..."and, you know, most schools around here just aint gonna beat those NKY private schools because they (fill in the blank)". I mean, that's how little they know or how "out of the loop" they are on the schools up in that area, and these are guys who are involved in the sporting scene at a pretty high level. I'm sure the same or similar is felt in EKY and SKY and others with, again, a disconnect to NKY, which I believe is a large portion of the state. So as soon as an average fan watching a game at Rupp hears that X team is from NKY, many immediately have no connection to that team and are either completely apathetic to the team or openly root against it. That's my theory anyway until I think of or hear a better one.

^^^^^^

 

I think their is a disconnect for NKY and the far WKY from the rest of the state.

^^^^^^

 

I think their is a disconnect for NKY and the far WKY from the rest of the state.

 

Absolutely agree.

Guys, gonna let you in on a little secret. Just like the "average" Kentuckian doesn't know there is more to western KY past Elizabethtown (I say that kind of in jest, but kind of not too), the "average" Kentuckian doesn't really recognize or have any relationship to NKY and all the schools up there, and many actually think of the area as more belonging to Cincinnati than being part of KY. Hey, I have actually heard KHSAA refs from far western regions refer to Beechwood and Highlands both as private schools..."and, you know, most schools around here just aint gonna beat those NKY private schools because they (fill in the blank)". I mean, that's how little they know or how "out of the loop" they are on the schools up in that area, and these are guys who are involved in the sporting scene at a pretty high level. I'm sure the same or similar is felt in EKY and SKY and others with, again, a disconnect to NKY, which I believe is a large portion of the state. So as soon as an average fan watching a game at Rupp hears that X team is from NKY, many immediately have no connection to that team and are either completely apathetic to the team or openly root against it. That's my theory anyway until I think of or hear a better one.

 

Agreed. Most of the state considers NKY as more a part of Cincinnati than KY, and being from NKY, I am 100% okay with that. We (people from NKY) are nothing like the rest of the state, and are much more similar to the Cincy/Southern Ohio areas. I always tell people "Cincinnati or just south of Cincinnati" when they ask where I'm from.

Agreed. Most of the state considers NKY as more a part of Cincinnati than KY, and being from NKY, I am 100% okay with that. We (people from NKY) are nothing like the rest of the state, and are much more similar to the Cincy/Southern Ohio areas. I always tell people "Cincinnati or just south of Cincinnati" when they ask where I'm from.

 

But I also believe its as much people just not knowing about that part of the state...call it ignorance...as much as anything done purposefully spiteful or hateful. I bet the vast majority of the state population have not been to what most would consider the "NKY region".

Back in the early to mid 70s I can't tell you how many times I heard, "Go back to Ohio", screamed from the stands when a 9th Region team was on the floor at Freedom Hall. Always made me wonder about "bias".

Agreed. Most of the state considers NKY as more a part of Cincinnati than KY, and being from NKY, I am 100% okay with that. We (people from NKY) are nothing like the rest of the state, and are much more similar to the Cincy/Southern Ohio areas. I always tell people "Cincinnati or just south of Cincinnati" when they ask where I'm from.

 

With all respect to my Buckeye neighbors, I'm a proud Kentuckian not an Ohioan. I don't live in Cincinnati. There used to be some travel literature I would see that described Northern Kentucky area as the "southern side of Cincinnati". Never really like that description. Don't want to be the south end of anything. :smug:

I remember for several years Warren Central was referred to as "Warren County" while at Rupp.

NKY has always had a complex, they don't want to be in Ky and Ohio doesn't want them.

 

As far as basketball bias from us poor old "Down Staters", there really isn't any that I see. It's not like they (NKY Teams) are dominating the rest of the state year in and year out. I'd guess the average fan across the state (Not BGPers) wouldn't be able to find Campbell Co on a map and have no idea where in the state Ryle, Holmes and Conner are located.

Agreed. Most of the state considers NKY as more a part of Cincinnati than KY, and being from NKY, I am 100% okay with that. We (people from NKY) are nothing like the rest of the state, and are much more similar to the Cincy/Southern Ohio areas. I always tell people "Cincinnati or just south of Cincinnati" when they ask where I'm from.

 

This is it in a nutshell. Most interactions with northern Kentuckians by non northern kentuckians leaves you with the feeling that they (NKY) associate more with Cincy than Ky. When I was younger, I would have told you I was from NKY (Grant Co), now I would never say that. They don't want anyone but the big 3 counties to be NKY. Gallatin, Grant, Pendleton, Bracken and Owen should geographically be NKY. Boone, Kenton and Campbell make it hard for the rest of the state to like them. They would say I have an inferiority complex, I am certain they have a superiority complex.

This is it in a nutshell. Most interactions with northern Kentuckians by non northern kentuckians leaves you with the feeling that they (NKY) associate more with Cincy than Ky. When I was younger, I would have told you I was from NKY (Grant Co), now I would never say that. They don't want anyone but the big 3 counties to be NKY. Gallatin, Grant, Pendleton, Bracken and Owen should geographically be NKY. Boone, Kenton and Campbell make it hard for the rest of the state to like them. They would say I have an inferiority complex, I am certain they have a superiority complex.

 

More or less. NKY is perfectly content to function as their own little "state", and the rest of KY is more than happy to let them. Maybe it's the same in other states as well, but the drastic differences in mannerisms, dialect, etc. from those in Kenton, Boone, and Campbell to the rest of the state is pretty crazy IMO.