Stage 1: The initial interest — maybe you were Tar Heel born and bred, or maybe you just thought Carolina Blue uniforms were cuter than lame generically-colored uniforms or perhaps you started thinking UNC for one of your college options. Any way you look at, your interest is established. So, "Go Heels" I guess.
Source: James Barrett Photography
Stage 2: This may have been previously established, but now you have a vested interest. You’ve been accepted, or you’ve got a [insert relation here] who attends or has been accepted at UNC.
Maybe your mom never sported any particular team colors, but now the blue is not-so-slowly creeping into her daily attire.
I just changed my pinned tweet from my NC State acceptance letter to my UNC letter ¿ #UNC2020 ?
— Richard Baker (@scary_sandwich) February 14, 2016
Stage 3: Opportunity arises. Newsflash: YOU LIKE A BASKETBALL SCHOOL.
Now, say that you were accepted — you have the ability to cheer for the Heels in the flesh.
Starting with football, you establish the groundwork for the rest of the year, itching for the start of basketball season in all of its glory. You’re slowly learning names of the players and secretly wondering if every really tall guy you pass on campus is on the team (don’t lie everyone's done it at one point).
Source: home.isi.org
Stage 4: You finally attend Late Night with Roy, and you GET SO HYPE.
The first time in the Dean Dome and you’re overwhelmed — IT’S SO BIG AND COOL.
I mean there’s dancing and basketball and bad comedy and more dancing. What’s not to love???? Totally sick moves, guys.
Sources: KevinSeifertPhotography.com, Interactives.wcnc.com
Stage 5: You’re drowning in Carolina Blue.
You enter the student lottery and lucky you got phase one tickets to the season opener!! This is real!!!!! You have something to talk about with everyone!
Source: Giphy.com
Stage 6: Emotional Investment — As they say, you’re in too deep. There’s no turning back now and your fandom is established.
Good job, UNC, you’ve ruined millions forever by playing with our emotions with every buzzer-beater, every injury, every OT, and every game ever.
Source: Gif2fly.com
Stage 7: The ultimate game of the season is here… the DOOK game….. DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNNNN.
You haven’t truly felt irrational hatred like this before. Ever. You have no reason at all to hate Grayson Allen and the rest of those royal-blue wearing, pompous as all get-out, vomit-inducing sons of Krzyzewski but you do. So. Much. Irrational. Hatred.
This speaks to me on so many different levels. #GTHD #deatheaters ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/f0r59nzwY4
— Cassie Edmonds (@cse911) March 11, 2016
And yeah. And that’s supposedly pronounced “Sha- chefs-ski”. Right. That makes total sense.
You’ve heard fables of fires on Franklin Street after victories and terrible tales of Tar Heel tragedy, but now the game is here for real and you can’t even handle it.
You even heard of someone who sold their soul for a phase- five ticket for the home game.
Can you believe this could happen twice in one year??
Source: Kevin Hu for the Daily Tar Heel
You’ve almost completed your transition.
Stage 8: Now it’s the ACC Tournament, and you’re gearing up for March Madness. These are the games that make or break spirits.
This is for honor and glory and school pride!
By now you’re friends with all of the players (unfortunately, most of our friendships are probably one-sided) and yelling when they make a basket or telling them how to improve if they missed.
Yeah because we’re all totally qualified to make those judgements. Mhmm. (Roy is, though… #dad).
Source: Foxsports.com
Stage 9: Now it’s the NCAA tournament. March Madness. You have the Heels cutting down the nets and these are some of the most stressful games of the year.
You wear your pride on your sleeve. At the end of the run here, you’ve now fully transitioned into a manic Tar Heel basketball fan.
Many congratulations to you.
Now, stop and think as to how far you’ve come from the beginning of the madness to where you are now, you now realize you’ve become more of a Tar Heel than you ever thought possible, and you have more blue clothing and camaraderie than you know what to do with.
And you couldn’t be happier.
God was a Tar Heel, right? That has to be why the sky is Carolina Blue.
#GDTBATH
Source: giphy.com
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