Luther Head's missed 3-pointer with 17 seconds left in this year's NCAA national basketball championship had me very distraught. For one, I grew up and went to high school in Illinois, thus a good majority of my friends attend the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. But beyond rooting for a sports team, the Illini loss brought an end to the remarkable streak of wins by blue states in major NCAA and professional sports.
If we look back in 2004, blue states have continuously won in all the major sports. The 2004 NBA champions were the Detriot Pistons, from Michigan, a very important state that Kerry held in the 2004 election. In the NFL this year, again for the third time in just four years the New England Patriots from Massachusetts, John Kerry's home state, won the Super Bowl. And of course that other team from Boston. Who could forget the amazing run the Boston Red Sox made to win the World Series. As for the NCAA, in football this year the USC Trojans from California, a solidly blue state in national elections, won the title. And in mens and womens basketball the Uconn Huskies were national champions. Connecticut also went blue in last year's election.
So as I watched Dee Brown, my former competitor from high school, and his fellow Illinis' magical run end, I also witnessed this amazing and relatively unknown blue state phenomenon end too. Beyond my frustration for a victorious Illini, there were further implications in the loss that added the proverbial 'insult to injury'. However, as I am far too comfortable saying, being a Cubs fan and all, there's always next year.
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This probably won't make you feel less distraught, but maybe we should now consider North Carolina an honorary blue state? VP candidate John Edwards is from North Carolina, and North Carolina would have gone blue if only the under-30 vote counted (see map). Maybe this is an omen that North Carolina is becoming more progressive?
Yeah I am aware of that. It is a promising figure but nevertheless North Carolina went red and Erskine Bowles lost the Senate race.
Art has a point... i really wish those under-30 voters turned out... i met john edwards a few weeks ago and he is really nice & humble.
he was helping do construction on hurricane katrina houses--and he settled right in and got into th work... and after a few days it was clear he really cared and wasn't just in it for the photo-op.