College basketball’s most hated player is none other than Syracuse University’s own Eric Devendorf, according to Yahoo Sports. Between the trash talk, the tattoos, the chin-strap beard and the two-game suspension, hoops fans around the country just love to bad-mouth our school’s loud white guy.

Personally, as long as Devo’s 3’s keep dropping faster than the Dow Jones or Chris Brown’s reputation, I have no problem with the guy, and I don’t see why anyone else should. After all, he’s just Gerry McNamara with an attitude. Or Eminem with a jump shot. Or Kevin Federline with talent.

In fact, I daresay the Syracuse community as a whole supports the embattled guard. The rest of the country might think he’s a punk, but to us, he’s our punk. That being said, with no Devo to rally against, there’s plenty of leftover hate to go around SU.

You’ll feel it now and then – a stranger shooting you a dirty look when you brush by them on the way to class, a floormate letting the elevator door close before you get on – but five groups on campus really bear the brunt.

We all know them, and unless we’re in them, we probably can’t stand them:

Resident Advisers: I’m one of the lucky few on campus with an RA cool enough to consider my friend. Still, whenever I introduce her to friends outside the floor, their facial expressions invariably range somewhere between that of a bewildered puppy and a baby that just realized he crapped his diaper. It’s not their fault; it’s instinct. When they hear ‘RA,’ they automatically assume the worst. Or crap their diaper.

Newhouse students – With its diverse mixture of Type A personalities and more Type A personalities, this school of overachieving communicators is a stomping ground for outspoken, arrogant jerks. At least, that’s what my mom tells me. I’m a broadcast journalism major.

Fraternities and Sororities: Many college kids just hate the idea of joining an exclusive institution that rejects applicants and makes its members pay to participate. Plus, any organization that tries to pass off Keystone as beer is bound to garner some animosity.

Freshmen: They’re little. They’re annoying. They travel in large packs. They smell funny. Whatever it is, the rest of campus can’t stand its first-year counterpart. I’m a freshman too.

Humor Columnists: I’m not sure how many other members this group has, but judging by select online reader feedback, this crowd has its fair share of haters. I’ve been called everything from ‘a bad writer’ to ‘a raging sexist who will do anything for attention’ to ‘incredibly handsome and charming.’ One guy even e-mailed me personally to ask whether I ‘tried to feed off some of the tips that made Owen Wilson famous in ‘Marley & Me” for one of my columns. I’m not positive what that means, but I don’t think he was asking for my autograph.

So, Devo, while you’re in Memphis taking on the Blake Griffin University Sooners, don’t mind all the boos from their fans. Just remember that back home there are plenty of people who are just as disliked as you.

Take it from me – the Newhouse freshman with a humor column.

Danny Fersh is a freshman broadcast journalism major. His columns appear weekly and he hopes this is Blake Griffin’s last game as a non-Washington Wizard. He can be reached at dafersh@syr.edu

Published on March 24, 2009 at 12:00 pm