As he lines up outside of the RBC Center with Wolfpack pride seeping out of his veins, he envisions the game — nachos and cheese, cold sodas, the thumping of the basketball hitting the shiny court.
He settles down into his seat in the student section next to all of his buddies, when suddenly something catches his eye. He’s not quite sure what it is, but the unsettling color sends a signal to his brain to be on the defense. As he approaches, the Wolfpack fan stands guard. After all, this is his turf.
Finally, he makes his way down the row and sits right beside the fan, who is appalled.
After moments of silence, he screams “Go Carolina!”
As the fan turns a steaming red, he comes face-to-face with a light blue adversary.
He is a UNC fan.
Chris Whitman, a freshman in biochemistry, said he has encountered fellow students who are UNC fans at football games, and finds it upsets some of the students in the stands.
“As long as they are not being disrespectful to our school, I am fine with it,” Whitman said. “The State fans around them were actually being more rude, telling them to go back to their own school.”
Jordan Buck, a sophomore in sports management, said she has been a UNC fan for as long as she can remember. She said even though she is getting her education at NCSU, she will always be a Tar Heel at heart.
“I came to State because of the sports management program here,” Buck said. “I get a lot of crap about it when I come home from my family and friends, but my parents are supportive of me going to school here.”
Buck said arguments with classmates and friends are usually harmless and in a joking manner. She said there is nothing wrong with a little competitive conversation between friends regarding the two schools’ football and basketball abilities.
“It works out good considering Carolina has beaten State a lot lately,” Buck said. “Even though I am a Carolina fan, I guess [NCSU fans] can’t really give us much crap about it until they beat us a time or two.”
Justin Couch, a junior in communication, said he approaches the NCSU and UNC rivalry in a different way. He has not been to a rivalry game since he came to school here. He said since he grew up near Chapel Hill, he was aware of the competition between the two schools and chose not to broadcast his UNC fanship at games while he is a student.
“I haven’t been to the Carolina [versus State] games, and I’m not going to go,” he said. “But, if I had to go to the game, I would definitely wear blue.”
But, according to Couch, it is not a “two-way street” when it comes to the rivalry between the two schools.
“It seems like the students I meet here Ñ- the State fans Ñ- hate Carolina, and it doesn’t work the other way,” he said. “My Carolina friends never say anything about State. I mean, [UNC fans] hate DukeÉ[they’re] supposed to hate Duke with a passion, but I pull for State when they don’t play Carolina. It’s kind of strange.”
John Chiulli, a junior in mechanical engineering, said he has been a Carolina fan since he was six years old. He said his sister went to school there and his uncle was a professor who taught Michael Jordan. He has stood by Carolina despite his educational career at State.
“It’s a matter of loyalty and I have been a fan for so long,” Chiulli said. “As long as you’re not a jerk about it, it’s fine. I’m not very loud about it. Our whole apartment is pretty much fans from all different schools, so it adds spice.”
Chiulli still shows respect to NCSU when he attends games versus UNC.
“I feel like being in the student section is a little different,” he said. “NC State got you the tickets to go to the game, and I really don’t feel that I should wear a Carolina blue shirt. It’s not a matter of fear of the other fans, but you just don’t want to be ‘that guy.'”
Chiulli said when he goes to a game versus UNC and NCSU loses, he wants to celebrate, even though he usually stifles his excitement.
“It makes it so awkward after the game,” he said. “Because everyone is so mad, and I want to be happy, but I feel bad walking out of the stadium clapping.”