LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When he took the knee, John Calipari had to know what was coming.
He’s lived in Kentucky, one of America’s reddest states, since 2009. In the November presidential election, Donald Trump captured 62 percent of the vote in the state and won 118 out of 120 counties—the only exceptions were the two biggest, Jefferson and Fayette, home to the University of Louisville and University of Kentucky, respectively. Jefferson might be the only county in the state that isn’t a majority UK fan base, and even here the Big Blue following is sizable.
In other words, it stands to reason that the fans who passionately follow Calipari’s team are overwhelmingly conservative Republicans.