Sport reference in #640 (I don't get it)

[Moonself]

Hi everybody,
could someone explain the "university sport" reference in the last panels of strip 640? Why does the fiend say "at this time of the year etc etc"? And what are the two mascottes supposed to represent?

Thanks in advance for any reply

Oh, and yes, this strip was a masterpiece.

[Porthos]

Hi everybody,
could someone explain the "university sport" reference in the last panels of strip 640? Why does the fiend say "at this time of the year etc etc"? And what are the two mascottes supposed to represent?

Thanks in advance for any reply

Oh, and yes, this strip was a masterpiece.

The two mascots are The Blue Devil (the mascot of Duke University) and Sparky the Sun Devil (the mascot of Arizona State University). Both of these universities are well known for having good sports programs (though like many large US colleges, how good they are can depend on the sport in question).

As for "this time of year", the NCAA Championship Basketball Tournament is underway. It has evolved into one of the bigger sports events of the year (comparable with the Super Bowl or the World Series), and it is popularly known as "March Madness".

Hence the tie into the title of #640 as well.

[SolkaTruesilver]

Ouch... Thanks for clearing it up mate. It was a very obscure reference..

(Well, for me anyway. And I'd guess, for pretty much the big majority of non-americans)

[magic9mushroom]

Ouch... Thanks for clearing it up mate. It was a very obscure reference..

(Well, for me anyway. And I'd guess, for pretty much the big majority of non-americans)

Agreed.

This adds weight to the theory that the orange-eyed guy is a devil.

[David Argall]

By the way, both teams lost badly in the sweet 16 round

[Moonself]

Thanks for the explanation Porthos,
now the joke is much more clear.

[Laughing Dragon]

The two mascots are The Blue Devil (the mascot of Duke University) and Sparky the Sun Devil (the mascot of Arizona State University). ...

As for "this time of year", the NCAA Championship Basketball Tournament is underway. It has evolved into one of the bigger sports events of the year (comparable with the Super Bowl or the World Series), and it is popularly known as "March Madness".

Hence the tie into the title of #640 as well.

I am totally impressed that you could identify the two companions of the orange-eyed fiend ... you must have gotten A's in Devil-ology!

I never would have figured it out ... but that's because I don't have any interest in Dragonball.

[Zherog]

By the way, both teams lost badly in the sweet 16 round

Let's Go Nova!

*ahem*

While I got the references, I'm a sports geek on top of being a D&D geek. I was wondering if a large chunk of the readership wouldn't get the references.

[V'icternus]

Looks like it. Us non-Americans don't have much to draw on when it comes to stuff like that.

[Joran]

By the way, both teams lost badly in the sweet 16 round

Just a minor note: The Arizona Wildcats lost in the sweet 16; Arizona State, which is a different school, lost in the round of 32. Also, as far as I can tell, they're both public schools =P

[Silverraptor]

Agreed.

This adds weight to the theory that the orange-eyed guy is a devil.

So what are you implying? That we americans are some how...

[Chronos]

Let's Go Nova!

*ahem*

Oh, wow, I hadn't been following the results. We're in the Elite Eight? Sweet!

--Chronos, Villanova '99

[Kroy]

Looks like it. Us non-Americans don't have much to draw on when it comes to stuff like that.

I didn't get it and I've left America twice! Ever. Both times to Canada.

Me sad.

[ref]

Let's Go Nova!

No, let's go Supernova! hehe... sorry. (Someone had to say it)

[Lupy]

No, let's go Supernova! hehe... sorry. (Someone had to say it)

My cousin graduates from Nova in the spring, and that made Duke's defeat all the more sweet...

UNC!!

[TheDrone]

I am totally impressed that you could identify the two companions of the orange-eyed fiend ... you must have gotten A's in Devil-ology!

I never would have figured it out ... but that's because I don't have any interest in Dragonball.

Unless that's just random, i don't get the dragonball reference ;)

[Zherog]

Oh, wow, I hadn't been following the results. We're in the Elite Eight? Sweet!

--Chronos, Villanova '99

No. As of two minutes or so ago, we're in the final four, Baby!



Zherog, a Philly native who remembers watching the '85 Nova championship game.

[tcrudisi]

Just a minor note: The Arizona Wildcats lost in the sweet 16; Arizona State, which is a different school, lost in the round of 32. Also, as far as I can tell, they're both public schools =P

I just wanted to clarify: Arizona St. is indeed a public school. Duke University, however, is a private institution. I realize it doesn't hold much relevance to the topic at hand, but I wanted to correct this just for purely educational purposes.

[ref]

What is really evil is, out of all the colleges out there, which are, like, a bazillion and a half, or something, have Duke appear on OotS.

[Selene]

What is really evil is, out of all the colleges out there, which are, like, a bazillion and a half, or something, have Duke appear on OotS.

How many mascots have an entry in the Monster Manual?

[Thajocoth]

Looks like it. Us non-Americans don't have much to draw on when it comes to stuff like that.

Hey, there are plenty of us Americans who didn't get it either. I've never much seen the point of watching others play a game, so... I just assumed they were his college buddies and just had enormous heads for no reason.

[Joran]

I just wanted to clarify: Arizona St. is indeed a public school. Duke University, however, is a private institution. I realize it doesn't hold much relevance to the topic at hand, but I wanted to correct this just for purely educational purposes.

I was pointing out that Arizona and Arizona State are both public schools, so the "State" seemed completely superfluous. If anyone knows why, that would be enlightening.

As a Maryland alum, we hate Duke with a passion that burns, so yes, I knew they were a private school. This comic was a welcome reminder that Duke is obviously from the Lower planes.

[brionl]

Hey, there are plenty of us Americans who didn't get it either. I've never much seen the point of watching others play a game, so... I just assumed they were his college buddies and just had enormous heads for no reason.

I live in the US, and even though I pretty much despise televised sports I got the reference. I figured they were basketball mascots, I just didn't care enough to try to figure out which ones. I always know when it's March Madness because the TV shows I actually want to watch are getting pre-empted.

[GeminiSun]

...oh, wow. I grew up just down the street from ASU and still live in Tempe, and I didn't recognize Sparky? I am ashamed of myself.

[warrl]

I was pointing out that Arizona and Arizona State are both public schools, so the "State" seemed completely superfluous. If anyone knows why, that would be enlightening.

A number of states have two major state universities.

They need some way of giving the two schools distinctive names while showing their affiliation with the state and not showing any hint of creativity. This is the one most of them picked:

University of {state}
{state} State University

[Jayabalard]

I am totally impressed that you could identify the two companions of the orange-eyed fiend ... you must have gotten A's in Devil-ology!

It says Arizona and Duke on their Chests... That along with the colors makes it pretty simple.

[Ladorak]

Cheers for that. I'm a Brit and I was wondering...

[Kesnit]

Arizona State, which is a different school, lost in the round of 32.

Not quite true. The men lost in the round of 32. The women made it to the Elite 8.

[theMycon]

As a Maryland alum, we hate Duke with a passion that burns, so yes, I knew they were a private school. This comic was a welcome reminder that Duke is obviously from the Lower planes.

Why does everyone seem to hate the private, Southern-Baptist school with the most vanilla campus to ever have secret underground tunnels?

[snoopy13a]

Why does everyone seem to hate the private, Southern-Baptist school with the most vanilla campus to ever have secret underground tunnels?

Mainly because people hate their basketball team.

I detest their flopping*, arrogant fans with their cheers, and their "scrappy" players. Not to mention, I can't stand their coach.

* For non-basketball fans, flopping is when a defensive player intentionally falls down when an offensive player makes slight contact with them The idea is to draw an offensive foul and gain possesion of the ball. It is equivalent to diving in soccer.