All schools had race issues, Kentucky among them, and Rupp among coaches. It is a matter of degree, and every school in America, to the extent they had them, should regret it.

Kentucky was neither the worst nor most famous offender, and neither was Rupp. There is strong evidence for Rupp holding racist views, but imputing that to the University of Kentucky at large is unfair. It is also unfair to assert that U of L was less racist, on the whole, than UK at that time. The city of Louisville had segregated primary schools well into the 1970’s, where as Lexington integrated theirs in 1955, the year after Brown v. Board of Education.

Are we to accept the view that the segregationist views of the city leadership and academia had no affect on the University, or that U of L was a bastion of diversity surrounded by a city with race problems? How conveniently simplistic, and unlikely.

I have been one of the leading decriers of this sort of stuff, but I have reached the point at which I’m not doing it anymore — it is futile. If Louisville fans insist on lowering themselves to this, fine. I’ll just point to the trophy case and our record against them. They can have all the moral high ground they want, as long as they acknowledge that their basketball program is vastly inferior.