Strange.

The University of Kentucky has returned 2,060 unsold tickets to University of Louisville for the Sept. 2 football game at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. Almost a month before the game.

One has to wonder whether UK fans are so immersed in their basketball dream world that they would pass up a football game with their the arch rival. Wouldn’t they want to support their team more strongly after winning a national championship, even if in another sport?

Or are they so disheartened by their performance in SEC football over the years that the consider the situation hopeless?  Or is it that they want to send a message about Joker Phillips?

Or are staff members in the UK athletic administration sitting on their collective duff, fumbling the ball, giving up too easily? For whatever reason, the unsold tickets reflect poorly on the university and the UK fan base.

Tickets will be made available to U of L season ticket holders starting Wednesday for $50 each, with a maximum of four tickets per account. They can be ordered online or at the ticket offices; no telephone orders.

Where are all those oh-so-loyal bumper-sticker UK fans in Louisville anyway?

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By Charlie Springer

Charlie Springer is a former Louisville editor and sportswriter, a public affairs consultant, a UofL grad and longtime fan.

16 thoughts on “UK fans missing in ticket line for Louisville football rivalry”
  1. I have been to games here in Louisville and Lexington. For the most part the fans are good. Because of relatives and friendships I respect UofL. They have a good program.
    I could care less about the ticket returns, it gives someone else a chance to see this game.
    Both of these programs are in two different worlds. My hope is Joker turns it around this year. If not I would love to see UK go big and hire Patrino. Someone is going to hire him so it might as well be UK. With him at UK the excitement would be there. Both on and off the field!

  2. If Ky is such a basketball state, why did they just adopt thne first ever basketball hall of fame, why aren’t there any nationaly ranked high schools in basketball, but produced the national champion in football along with 2 other schools ranked in the top 150 in the nation.

    1. Unless you missed the last century, the fact that Kentucky is a basketball state is obvious and unimpeachable. And, without accepting your premise that it takes the presence of a HOF and nationally ranked teams to make an area basketball crazy, I recall Ballard, Scott County and Male as schools that in recent times put top flight programs on the national radar.
      I always concluded that the reason Kentucky loved basketball more than football was that any kid could afford to throw up a hoop, while football required a bigger space and more expense. You can shoot at a peach basket, but don’t bother wearing one to protect your head. And, it is patently unfair to play football on a field where one team must run uphill.

  3. I wonder how much money Mitch spent on those silly billboards in Jefferson County? And still can’t sell their tickets to all those hundreds of thousands Big Blue fans in the area. Semper Fi indeed!

  4. Hey, Charlie. You have season tickets anymore for the great Cards’ basketball team?

  5. Sorry…I think it’s something much more basic – somebody fumbled and sent the tickets back too soon.

    The student fan-base doesn’t move back onto campus for another 10 days. Just sayin’

  6. Not that all the previous comments aren’t accurate–because they are. The Cats football program isn’t on the rise, isn’t competitive in its own conference, and needs a coaching change–I’ll give you all that.
    But also one might look at the persistently mediocre economy as a factor in declining sports travel I’m a NASCAR fan, and have seen empty seats at tracks across the country, all year. Not sure about baseball travel or NBA travel, but those sports are heavily home-dependent for fans.
    If you think a coaching change might help the Cats football program, I might gently suggest to you that a national economic leadership change might help as well. But that’s another topic. Let’s suck up those returned tickets and Go Cards!

    1. “But that’s another topic”

      Accurate! And, so much out of place here, (in my opinion). I will only continue to visit sites where the two topics are not mixed in together. There are plenty of factors in Kentucky’s football underachievement to note without conjuring a political connection. Whether the connection is valid isn’t the issue, the placement here is what makes it dubious.

  7. Charlie you are right. Trinity, St. X and Male are so far a head of most high schools in KY in football that it is not even funny! And while Trinity, St. X and Male are among the best in America there are many schools in most states playing football at their level. I grew up playing football in Tidewater Virginia where there were many schools playing football at the Trinity, St. X and Male level. Excellence in football was not the acception but rather the norm, which is not the case in KY!

  8. This is simple. Kentucky is a Basketball state and not a football state yet. UK needs to have some success in football and play for an SEC Title a few times and it will become more of a football hotbed but Louisville being a national presence will not do as much for football in KY. UK needs their own identity other than SEC doormat.

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