Packed bars, a loaded Franklin Street and 21,750 fans jumping around are common staples of the UNC-Duke rivalry. And although excitement still fills the Chapel Hill air, COVID-19 restrictions have made this year’s rendition of the rivalry game feel bittersweet for some.
By this point in the season, first-year students have had to get creative with how they engage with other fans. Hawley Bronson from Chicago holds “two-second” conversations with fans on Franklin Street, while Yousuf Al Naseri from Salisbury, Maryland, opts for chatter on Tar Heel social media accounts.
But as any first-year will tell you, that first Duke game stands above the rest. It's a game that students immediately mark on their calendars, serving as a rite of passage that welcomes them into the North Carolina community.
With the lack of an authentic on-campus experience, though, some first-years have acknowledged the difficulties of getting fully acclimated with the rivalry and all of its lore.
“I actually grew up a Duke fan, so I feel like I don’t hate Duke as much as I would have if COVID wasn’t here,” Roshan Vridhachalam, a first-year from Cary, North Carolina, said.
While first-year students may be the victims of unfortunate circumstances, the same sentiment can be applied to this year's senior class — as some are somber at the likely prospect of missing their last hurrah against the Blue Devils when the teams play in the Smith Center on March 6.
Phillip Choi, a senior from Charlotte, said he has bled Carolina blue since he was 5 years old, so he vividly recalls spectating the rivalry for the first time in 2018. He was flooded with emotions when he made his way up near the rafters with a phase five ticket, which he still keeps, in hand.
“I almost started crying, man,” Choi said. “The place was electric, and I think nothing compares to that in terms of any sporting event I’ve been to.”
After the flu kept him home for the sophomore year bout, Choi came back the next season with the same excitement as before. It didn’t matter that the Tar Heels were on their way to a 14-19 overall record near the bottom of the ACC standings. Just being part of such a longstanding tradition was enough.
