Rucker helps put hate back in Clemson-Carolina rivalry
By: will-vandervort April 6, 2017

Almost a week after some Clemson fans took to social media, giving their support to the South Carolina men’s basketball team after it reached the Final Four, perhaps the Gamecocks’ biggest fan and alum—singer Darius Rucker—put a little hate back in the rivalry.

Rucker, who gave the Gamecock fans another free concert in Columbia on Wednesday night to celebrate the men’s team accomplishment and the women’s national championship, took some shots at Clemson fans and the Tigers’ 2016 National Championship in football on twitter.

Prior to the men’s Final Four in Phoenix last week, controversy arose in the Palmetto State as some Clemson fans expressed they were going to pull for their most-hated rival in the championships because it was good for the state. The majority of the Clemson fan base disagreed with their notion as did most of the South Carolina fans I spoke with, saying they did not want their support.

The notion of Clemson fans pulling for Carolina took a little luster off a rivalry that dates back to the day when Clemson first opened its doors in 1889. However, Rucker put everything back in proper perspective on Wednesday as he responded and took shots at Clemson after Clemson fans started trolling him about his free concert. It was the second time Rucker gave the Gamecock fans a concert, the first was to celebrate a 6-7 season in football.

As I said in this very same space last week, Clemson fans are not supposed to like Carolina and Carolina fans are not supposed to like Clemson. That’s what makes a rivalry and a rivalry.

So on Wednesday night, Rucker gave his free concert to Gamecock fans, again, at the Colonial Life Center in Columbia, though this one made more sense than the first one, and I’m sure he took a few jabs at Clemson while doing it. That’s okay though because while Rucker was singing, Clemson was bragging.

https://twitter.com/ClemsonVideo/status/849797633740820482

At the same time Rucker was on stage, Clemson Football displayed all over Twitter, and other social media avenues, the 2016 National Championship rings. The Tigers received two rings for winning the national championship, one from the College Football Playoff and a special one from the Clemson football program itself. They also received a third ring for winning their second straight ACC Championship.

So Wednesday was a really good day for the Clemson-Carolina Rivalry because it proved that these two schools and fan bases really don’t like each other, and that’s the way it should be.

 

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