Kate's Take: The Long Distance Relationship

Anyone who has ever moved away from the Commonwealth can attest to the fact that loving the Cats from a distance takes effort.  All the things we take for granted (e.g. unlimited TV broadcasts, the soothing sound of Tom Leach in the morning) become little diamonds to treasure and savor when you live far from the mother ship.  Apparently, there are people (I use the term loosely) in this world that actually want to see other teams play.  Or worse yet, want to see sports besides football and basketball played.   I happen to live in Big 11 country.  At its best (football season) it's a reasonable substitute for the SEC, except with Tressel instead of Tebow, and painfully boring defensive juggernaut contests instead of actual national relevancy. At its worst its basketball season. Even if you haven't ventured out from under the bosom of our Old Kentucky Home, chances are you've had a long distance romance or two in your life.  You know the kind-all talk, no action.  Well, I think the two situations have a lot in common.  Here is Katie's guide to a long distance relationship with UK: 1.  Trust!  Unlike the Kentuckians back at home, out-of towners can't be with the team every game.  We must learn to trust that they aren't doing us dirty while we're apart.  With our great new ESPN deal, keeping tabs on them got easier, but it can still be a difficult transition from always see the Cats play to praying that you can somehow stumble across some grainy Internet feed by which to feed your addiction.  Or that Comcast will decide to add FoxSportsSouth to your highly overpriced sports package featuring FoxSportsMidwest,Atlantic,Pacific, and North but alas, no South.  It's easy to focus on and get frustrated by the games you can't see live and imagine that the worst is going on behind your back, but if the relationship is going to have a chance at survival you'll have to trust PPat and company to get the job done even when you can't be there to monitor it. You will be tempted to cheat, especially those who move away for college purposes.  Though it may seem easy to just root for another team for just one night, we all know that it just takes one indiscretion to ruin you for life (with IU fans especially).  There will be plenty of opportunities to get a little side action from other schools, but the temporary pleasure that you will get from wearing another team's colors and cheering for them at games is nothing in comparison to the shame you will feel when your friends from UK call because they saw you on ESPN with your face painted gold and black.  2.  Treasure!  Treasure the moments you can see them play.  Espn360 has terrible feed, even worse commercials, and still worse announcers.  But at least I won't miss even on of J-Wall's assists or any of Boogie's three point attempts (the highlight of every game for me.)  Of course, if you actually get to see them play during the course of the season, consider yourself  extremely lucky.  If the Internet feeds are like talking on your telephone to your long distance love (slow, static-y, and unsatisfying) and the TV feeds are like installing that web cam,  seeing the team live and in person is like the elusive conjugal visit-the mecca of every prisoner's (the criminal kind and the basement kind) love life. 3.  Confidence!  Depending upon your destination of choice, you may be the only Cat fan in town.  Learn to embrace your independence and hone your defensive skills.  Don't be afraid to go to events alone.  If you get student seats and they're playing UK, proudly wear that blue and white (you'll also have to hone those beer shower dodging skills).  You'll encounter annoying couples who just can't seem to stop bragging about their significant others and non-significant wins (Do wins actually count if you've never been to a final four?).  You'll encounter large packs of similar minded fans and they'll use every opportunity they can to insult and ridicule you.  Stand strong and know that your long distance romance, however unconventional and inconvienent it may be, will always be better than being a fan of some other team.