Searching for The Ultimate Truth; Maryland fans

Whelp, with Maryland coming on over to Cameron in a few days, The Devils Den has, of course, seen an influx of Terps coming over here, behaving in typical Terp fashion. Generally the Terp fans who post here are aggressive and bitter and rather immature. In fact, that is the view we get of MOST Terps, who revel in turning their arena into a most un-family-friendly environment and in destroying their college "town", win or lose. They giggle at getting banned at the Duke forum, they rain curses down on opposing players (despite the rather feeble protests of their administration) and water bottles down on opposing player families (despite the rather feeble protests of their security.)

So, The Ultimate Lord thought now was as good a time as ever to have the definitive discussion:

What sets the Terp fan apart from the rest of the ACC fans?

Now, of course ALL schools have their RFB, or their Retard Fan Base. UNC has them, State has them... yes, even Duke has them. Fans who seem to root more for an opponent to lose than their own team to win, fans who angrily mock and curse, fans who engage in immature smack talk with opposing fans in some desperate attempt to prove they belong... fans who generally embarass their fellow fans with their behaviors and their attitudes.

But the sheer number of them at The University of Maryland at College Park, and the bitter, vitriolic anger they seem to have, appears to dwarf all the rest.

So... what causes this?

*Is it a simple inferiority complex? Maryland is perfectly acceptable for a public school, and a top 100 university. However, when compared to powerhouses like Duke, Maryland doesn't quite stack up, either in terms of education or achievement, and this is reinforced every time Dick Vitale talks about the accomplishments of the epitome of basketball fans, the Cameron Crazies, and every time another beautiful shot of the Chapel of or Cameron Indoor is shown. Does going to an inferior school in a decidedly ugly and unwelcoming environment breed a serious, deep inferiority complex in Terp students?

*Is it purely "We have lost to you for so long we are bitter?" Maryland has long been a second rate ACC team and barely a blip on the national radar, especially being saddled by sharing a conference with such legendary programs as Duke and UNC. Then Maryland hit a tiny bump with a few good players and a sudden national title, creating a "generation" of grads who thought this was what was to come, that this was Marylands rightful and deserved spot in the basketball universe. Of course Maryland fell apart afterwards and returned to its traditional mediocrity, as everyone but a core of Terps expected. But was this tiny taste of excellence so sweet that without it the Terps were reduced to adject bitterness? And was this bitterness even more bitter because they watched Duke continue its stratospheric success after its own down time?

*Is it a reflection of their coach? Gary Williams has long been known as a bitter, obsessed man. His failed marriage was haunted by stories of Gary, angry and alone, sleeping in his car. His career has been haunted with almosts and so-closes, and in the end Gary has always turned, screaming and cursing and full of anger, to outside forces to explain his failures. It has always been the refs or the league or the media or even his own players and his own staff; never GARY. The Ultimate Lord would wager that in his failed marriage, it probably wasn't Gary's fault either, in the end. Gary rarely takes charge, and rarely accepts responsibility for things he doesn't want to. Remember the whole "Gary will get the Terp fans to be nicer?" thing? And how did that work? And does this tendency to blame failure on others, to avoid shouldering responsibility, to feel like somehow the universe ripped him off, somehow get reflected in the Terp fans, who embrace the bitter, angry coach and somehow decide that the universe has ripped THEM off?

*Or does something about The University of Maryland at College Park just invite a less-classy individual? The Ultimate Lord finds this the least likely explanation, especially since He knows a few Terps who are lovely people... but maybe someone knows something The Ultimate Lord doesn't know? (Hard to believe, of course...)

Maybe The Ultimate Lord is wrong. Maybe the "vocal minority" at The University of Maryland at College Park is just more vocal than most. Maybe with such a huge enrollment there are simply more OF them. But somehow Terp fans always seem to reinforce the stereotype, be it with riots or entire student bodies ignoring their ineffectual administration and repeatedly embarassing their university at nationally televised sporting events.

When you look at the hatred some UNC fans feel towards Duke, there are deeper issues, class issues and North/South issues. But with Maryland, what is it? Is it one of these theories? A mix? Something else? If there are any sane Terp fans around who wish to contribute, please do. And for the rest of the Duke fans, with so many Terp fans around here over the next few days, there is ample time to consider; what do YOU think?