In fact, UNC has no rival in N.C. State basketball

TO THE EDITOR:

I can sympathize with Mr. Allred’s frustrations in his letter, “Article should’ve focused on rivalry, not team’s woes,” (Jan. 27). I, too, was less than enthusiastic to see the headline of The Daily Tar Heel Tuesday morning, but we knew that it would only serve as motivation for our young team. However, he goes too far. UNC has no rival in Raleigh.

You must play for more than mere conference rankings in rivalry games. Sometimes you might fight for something tangible like a bell or a cup. Or student newspapers of rival schools may concoct an ongoing wager regarding the color of the loser’s masthead following a loss.

Another thing you might see in a rivalry is extreme celebration, like filling a main thoroughfare of town with rabid, screaming fans after what is always a meaningful victory. Lastly, rivalries tend to insert themselves into the cheers and songs of the adversaries.

There is a UNC rivalry that encompasses all those traits. We fight against our rivals for the Victory Bell and the Carlyle Cup, to see our colors plastered across the Chronicle’s masthead, to rush Franklin Street in victorious ecstasy and for a pride so strong that Will Blythe had to dedicate an entire book to it.

Keith Ballentine
UNC ’09