Colton Greene

UWRT
10/22/14
The Most Hated Team in America
Go to Hell Carolina, Go to Hell! This is one of the faithful Duke University student
body chants. Whether they are playing Carolina for the ACC Championship or simply an
exhibition game against a division II school these fans take their school spirit to another level.
These loyal fans are known as the Cameron Crazies and are the most dedicated fans in the
college basketball nation, and will go to extreme measures to help Duke come out victorious.
The Cameron Crazies name originated from the arena that the team plays in, which is
Cameron Indoor Stadium. Beginning in the mid-1980s Coach Mike Krzyzewski became the head
coach of Dukes basketball team and built a program that is one of the greatest programs all time.
Naturally the students at the university caught on pretty quick and became fans once they
realized the team success. The irony of the community is that Duke is one of the most prestigious
universities in America, yet these kids go crazy and act like maniacs for their basketball team.
The crowd not only consist of current Duke Students but also many alumni of the university. If
you tune in to a game it would not be out of the ordinary to spot a fan in a blue morph suit or a
whole section of kids with their hair painted blue. The Crazies create a huge advantage for their
team by taking the opposing school out of their comfort zone, intimidating them, and frustrating
their whole squad. Making the trip to Durham to play in Cameron is any teams worst nightmare
and can affect the rest of their season.

The fans in this discourse community created many of the modern day chants you hear at
basketball games, such as Air Ball when a player misses a shot. As you would expect college
kids to do they began to shout crude and explicit chants at opposing players, coaches, or even
cheer leaders. During one Duke versus Carolina game NBC had to shut down the sound in the
middle of the game because of the obscene phrases the Crazies were shouting. Cheerleaders have
been sent home crying after the game and players have been embarrassed so badly that it takes a
toll on their game. My cousin, who is a former Duke University student informed me that while
at a game in 2003 against UNC a fan ripped all his clothes off and danced in nothing but a blue
speedo to distract Jackie Manuel as he was shooting free throws. The speedo guy parted the sea
like Moses, rose up from the crowd half naked, and caused Carolina to miss two free throws that
would later cost them the game. Behavior like this is done with one common goal for Duke to
come out victorious.
The community all have their own chants and sayings that they use during games. If
someone not in the discourse community heard Down with Packer, Down with Packer! they
would have no clue that the faithful fandom were referring to TV analyst Billy Packer who is an
anti-Duke advocate. The fans have hundreds of cheers and chants that they create according to
their opponent. Before the games crazies will make cheat sheets for their chants and pass them
throughout the crowd so everyone will be in sync. This is an example of an artifact that the
Cameron Crazies utilize within their community. These chants greatly reflect the beliefs of the

fans and show their passion they have for their team.

There are forums and fan pages that allow members of the community to communicate
and organize events. Pep rallies and events are held for the fans to come together and prepare for
game and celebrate victories. At the beginning of each basketball season the crazies will gather
in the gymnasium for Late night with coach K. At this event the fans get to meet the player and
talk about the upcoming season. I was fortunately able to talk to one of my friends who has

attended a late night with coach K. It was one of the most amazing gatherings I had ever been
to, and I have never seen a group of people that had such a strong passion for a team. I would
love to someday go to Cameron indoor and just experience the atmosphere. It is ironic that these
kids are some of the smartest students in the nation and will be doctors and have white collar
jobs. They can express their opinions and are not afraid to admit they are the cream of the crop.
Once after losing the neighboring North Carolina State the Crazies proceeded to chant Thats
alright thats ok were gonna be your boss one day. Another way the fans will join together is
called Krzyzewskiville. This is where fans live in tents for days and weeks before the game to
be first in line for tickets. These people dedicate weeks of their lives just to have a chance at
getting a good seat at the game.
This is a website and another artifact about the community that tells all about the
Cameron Crazies and what all the have accomplished.
http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=1391403
A big part of the discourse community is March Madness, which is when the college
basketball playoffs happen. Dukes team has a tendency to make a long run in the 64 team
bracket and has won the national championship four times. This past march I was able to watch a
Duke game with several Cameron Crazies at a bar and it was very interesting. Some may not
know but Duke had a number two seed in this years bracket, which is a very high seed.
Although many experts picked Duke to win it all they were stunned by a small school from
Macon Georgia in the first round. Fifteenth seeded Mercer played the game of their lives and
pulled of the stunning upset against top seeded Duke. As I watched the fans slump over at the bar
when the game was winding down I knew they were blow a gasket. One guy stood up and threw
his Jabari Parker jersey to the ground. Another girl proceeded to scream obscene phrases at her

boyfriend, who was apparently a UNC Chapel Hill diehard fan. A few others just curled up in the
corner and sobbed as they watched their dreams of a national championship go down the drain.
This was when I realized how much these people have dedicated to their team.
The ways you can become a Cameron Crazy are you can be a student of the university or
be a diehard fan of the team. The guidelines of the community are generally set by the students
and anyone who wants to have an event with members of the group. The community ultimately
answers Coach Krzyzewski because he is the leader of the team. Once during a game the Crazies
began to chant an obscene phrase at the referee and Coach K quickly showed his disgust with the
fans. They immediately stopped chanting and chose another slang phrase to shout. This is an
example of how dedicated these fans are to their leader Coach K, and they would never want to
do anything he would not approve of. If a member of the fandom was seen wearing another
teams attire or even in the same place with a Carolina fan this would be frowned upon by all of
the Crazies. My dad once witnessed a huge brawl in a bar simply because a Carolina fan talked
to a Duke fans girlfriend. These people dont play around when it comes to their rival teams.
New members of the community are always welcome and people are encouraged to join
the group. New members of the group could become better known by how hard they go on
game day. For instance the speedo guy is a legend that all Cameroon Crazies know about, and he
will forever be remembered. If you are just an average guy sitting at the game with a duke shirt
on not many people will take notice, however if you come in painted from head to toe in Duke
blue you will catch someones eye. Does the Camera man ever show your ordinary fan at a
sporting event? No you see the guy/girl decked out in their teams attire. I wore a jumpsuit with
blue and white stripes and had a blue devil tale hanging from the back of it, this was the outfit
that my cousin wore to the Atlantic Coastal Conference championship against Virginia a few

years back. I can only imagine what it must be like for an opposing team as they enter the court
to a sea of blue.
You dont have to be at the game to be a part of the community by any means, you just
need to understand the game of basketball and love Duke. I talked to a fan of Duke who was
diehard when the Crazies were just beginning and what he told me was baffling. I was so
wrapped up in a Duke versus Carolina game in the 80s that I couldnt even watch I had to go
outside and mow my yard. When my son would come outside shaking his head I knew we were
losing, but when he opened the door cutting cartwheels I knew we were doing great! I thought
this was a perfect example of how into a game the people of this community can be. In the final
four game against UCLA I was so nervous I got underneath the house and when we would score
my son would beat on the floor. I am all about cheering for your team and all but I think of
these Crazies take it a little too far.
The Cameron Crazies are a different species of fans and will always set the bar high for
any student section or sports fan clubs. There is a certain standard you are held to if you are a
Cameron Crazy because you are the considered to be some of the toughest fans in the world.
Whether you were a fan of the team in the 1980s or you just became a fan recently you are a part
of the Cameron Crazies discourse community.