BY CHRIS LEWIS
Nevada’s run in the NCAA Tournament has received a fair amount of attention in Boise. After all, it was the Wolf Pack that derailed Boise State’s hopes to win the Mountain West. Nevada’s tournament wins are beneficial for Mountain West basketball, both in perception and financially. However, I’m still left wondering where the Boise State’s fan base stands on rooting for Nevada.
Keep in mind, I’m not from Boise, and never stepped foot in Idaho until moving here after graduating from college in 2013. As a play-by-play announcer and radio host, I got a quick understanding that Nevada is among Boise State’s top rivals. It doesn’t matter the sport, it doesn’t matter the conference, the Wolf Pack and Broncos don’t like each other. The schools often have to get through each other to reach the conference title.
The way I grew up with my sports fandom, I never rooted for a rival. From South Jersey, I’m a fan of two Philly sports teams: the Phillies and Sixers. There’s not a chance I would ever support the Mets and Celtics in the playoffs. I don’t want their teams to enjoy success, I don’t want their fans to feel happiness, and I don’t want anyone else to have those bragging rights. That doesn’t begin to explain the bitterness between the Eagles and their division rivals. Philadelphia is a proud pro sports town, and the majority would never root for a rival.
Even in college sports, I’ve had the same approach. In high school, I knew I wanted to go to Syracuse, so I became an Orange fan. The Syracuse-Georgetown rivalry is one of the best in college hoops. Not only that, but my younger brother attended Georgetown. Under no terms do I want his school to have bragging rights over my school. When Florida Gulf Coast embarrassed Georgetown in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, I still haven’t stopped rubbing it in. The way I’ve always lived, conference loyalty evaporates when it comes to rivals.
As a relative newcomer to the Boise State bandwagon, I need to know the rules. Do I root for Nevada’s success, or root for their misery?
Chris Lewis, the play-by-play voice of Boise State women’s basketball and Olympic Sports, co-hosts Idaho Sports Talk with Bob & Chris weekdays from 1-3 p.m. on KTIK 93.1 FM The Ticket. He can be found @ChrisLewisTweet (Twitter).
